Evolution of BRICS in the System of International Relations / Victoria Panova
Victoria Panova – Scientific Supervisor of the BRICS Russia Expert Council Vice-President for International Relations of the Far Eastern Federal University, Managing Director of the National Committee on BRICS Research; Women 20 Russian Sherpa
© Photohost agency brics-russia2020.ru
It is common opinion that the acronym BRICS spread around the world due to the helping hand of the senior economist of the “Goldman Sachs”, J. O’Neill, and designated only a generalized image of developing countries, most attractive for investors. I would like to bust this myth right away. J. O’Neill may have placed Brazil, Russia, India and China in one group, capable of overtaking in a certain medium term the G-7 countries as for the total size of their economies; however, few know that the concept of BRICS took shape in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, namely in its “think-tank”, Foreign Policy Planning Department.
Soon even outside observers understood that these countries were not just an attractive place for preserving and generating more wealth for the “Golden billion”, but serious and responsible actors in world politics with their own ambitions, capable of collectively working out a new international agenda in the interest of the whole world.
On the Russian side prerequisites for such a development of events were clearly in evidence both in terms of theory and practice. Theoretical arguments underlying the concept go back to E.M. Primakov’s idea of creating a cooperation triangle with India and China and diversifying Russia’s foreign policy, taking it away from an excessive focus on Western countries. For a number of reasons, the proposed triangle could not be built in the 1990s. For now the three countries have managed either to bridge or put aside their differences and actively cooperate not only within the BRICS but also, since 2001, within the RIC, including military and political aspects and security issues.
Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the participants in the group held their first meeting after the “guest session” of the St. Petersburg summit of the G-8 on July 15-17, 2006. In September that year the four ministers met again on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at an informal lunch in the Brazilian diplomatic mission on the initiative of Russian Foreign Minister S.V. Lavrov.
Further awareness of common interests of Russia and the five сountries on a number of issues developed in the framework of the Heiligendamm/L’Aquila dialogue processes (HAP). The dialogue led to the organization of the next meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the BRIC on the sidelines of the 62d UN General Assembly which took a decision to create a mechanism for consultations at the level of Deputy Ministers along with regular contacts at the level of ambassadors to the UN.
The first separate meeting of the heads of Foreign Ministries of the BRIC countries took place in May 2008 in addition to the meeting on the sidelines of the UN GA in September that year. They discussed global financial architecture, food crisis, climate change and closer cooperation in the framework of the HAP. Since then Foreign Ministers’ meetings have become regular. Also, Russia launched a dialogue on security, which first took place in Moscow in May 2009.
BRIC’s Ministers of Finance started meeting in November 2008 on the initiative of the Brazilian side with the first meeting held in San-Paulo before the G20 session, followed by a meeting of heads of the Central Banks of the four countries. At that time ministers and heads of the Central Banks of the BRIC countries discussed a number of issues, including the stabilization and regulation of international financial markets, protectionist threat, international financial institutes’ reform (quota redistribution by the IMF, which was to be reviewed in January 2011, allocation of special drawing rights, role of reserve currencies and putting in place a new revenue model).
Aware of the importance of “comparing notes” on economic and financial issues Ministers of Finance and heads of Central Banks started gathering regularly holding their meetings usually before every G20 ministerial meeting as well as on the sidelines of the IMF and the World Bank sessions. Since 2011 the BRICS countries have started to hold meetings at the level of Ministers of Economy and Foreign Trade to discuss issues of macroeconomic policy of the countries amid global financial and economic crisis.
Before the G-8 summit on July 7-9, 2008 in the city of Toyako, Japan, leaders of the BRICS countries held their first informal meeting. The first summit was held at Russia’s suggestion in Yekaterinburg in 2009 (when Brazil joined the other three countries after a dialogue on the SCO4 ), followed by top level meetings in China and India (with the participation of the SAR since 2011 on China’s initiative). Such summits started taking place regularly, both independently and on the sidelines of another informal “club”, namely the G20. During the meeting in Osaka on June 28, 2019 the BRICS leaders touched upon the issues of commitment to transparent, nondiscriminatory, open, free and comprehensive trade, further reforms of the international financial institutions, reflecting real changes, climate change and environmental policy, development. All this allowed to confirm the role of BRICS as a certain beacon of stability in the stormy sea of modern global policy and economy, the role which from the very beginning has been a key distinctive feature of the group and determined its additional value among the existing and emerging international institutions.
The results of the summit in Durban in 2013 were an additional factor which contributed to the BRICS transformation into a geopolitical community and a comprehensive mechanism of interaction of five countries, which goes far beyond the function of a platform for consultations on certain issues.
Complimentary mechanisms of the BRICS Business Council and the Council of Expert Centers of BRICS were created. We see today well-established formats of interaction not only at the level of business and expert communities, but in the civic society as a whole; youth, academic, parliamentary and other directions have been set.
Another as important issue at the Durban summit was a discussion of the whole spectrum of political topics, ranging from the situation in Syria, the Middle East, Afghanistan, around the Iranian nuclear program to fighting terrorism and drug trafficking.
The decision to launch the New Development Bank as a result of the summit in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza in 2014 became one of the turning points in the BRICS activities. It is worth noting that even states with “common identity” and common principles, which the G-7 nations pretend to be, haven’t achieved such significant results in launching a working joint structure in a short time, that is, it took only about three years to open a joint bank since the idea had been conceived. At present it is a full-fledged institution which has approved about 50 projects worth around 15 billion US dollars. Regional offices are to open in Russia and India in 2020, which means that the bank will be present in all the five сountries.
The Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership, adopted at the summit in Ufa in 2015, which is to be reviewed this year under Russia’s presidency, should also be kept in mind. This basic document facilitates trade and economic cooperation within BRICS, strengthens common economic positions of the five countries in global economy – as regards the combined GDP in purchasing power parity terms BRICS has already overtaken the G-7 countries.
For now two full-blown cycles of BRICS summits have already taken place, a third cycle has been successfully launched, with Brazil presiding last year. The 2019 summit in Brasilia, on November 13-14, is of particular importance because it showed that BRICS was not an opportunistic institution supported only by the enthusiasm of its leaders.
Independently from the individual preferences of the national leaders and their ideological stances the group represents a very important mechanism which is relevant in terms of structure for each member of the group. For each member of the five сountries the value of the format is determined by a wide range of factors, allowing them not only to resist any external pressure and increase their political clout, but also by a new culture of respect for the differences and complex identity of each participant. Recognition of equality and the right to have their own interests and stands is implicitly present in BRICS.
Also, it is important that since its birth BRICS hasn’t been a closed elite project. It showcases responsibility for the stability of world order, targets maximum engagement of all the citizens in the interaction process instead of confrontation, enhances horizontal and vertical convergence. In a short time – in terms of history – official meetings have successfully transformed since the creation of the mechanism into a close texture of multi-level interaction.
In July 2020 a BRICS summit is to take place in St. Petersburg. Throughout the year of Russia’s presidency numerous meetings on all imaginable topics of potential and real cooperation of the five countries will be held. Over the years the group has finally turned into an integral part of the global landscape. The BRICS nations have proved their ability to take responsible and meaningful decisions which allow us to make the world at least a little better and more predictable.