A New Home: Implications of the BRICS Group's Expansion

Photo via The Asahi Shimbun

ANAGHA CHAKRAVARTI: The BRICS coalition aims to create a counterweight to US and Western influence in the global order and institutions, with Thailand and Indonesia officially joining the forum in January 2025.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organization, short for “Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.” The term “BRIC countries” was first used by economist Jim O’Neill in 2001, when he laid out the rising influence and growth of Brazil, Russia, India and China and how they could “challenge the dominant G7 wealthy economies.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin took the initial charge in calling for a joint meeting of the four nations. The first meeting was held between Russia, India and China in 2005. The group was established in 2009 and the founding members are Brazil, Russia, India and China. The first summit was held in Russia in 2009. South Africa joined BRICS in 2010 in hopes to support a multipolar world order. 

The BRICS coalition is creating,  “a counterweight to Western influence in global institutions.” As a loose informal bloc consisting of non Western economics, the countries make up “more than a quarter of the global economy and almost half of the world’s population.” This forum and its expansion in terms of membership play a major role in today’s geopolitical economic system. The main areas of focus within the coalition include economic cooperation, geopolitics, multilateral trade and development. 

At the 2023 BRICS summit, new invitations were extended to several countries to join the BRICS Plus mechanism—a platform for other emerging market economies to collaborate with the forum. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were among the nations who accepted the invite.

In 2024, the BRICS chair was Russia and the Forum welcomed several new partner nations. One major criteria was that the country must “support multilateralism and comprehensive UN reform.” They welcomed nations such as Iran and Ethiopia. In late 2024, Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Thailand also became involved with BRICS.

In January 2025, Thailand officially became the newest BRICS partner country. The nation accepted Russia’s invitation to join the forum. Thailand’s Foreign Ministry views BRICS as comprising nations that are “emerging markets,” and “high potential developing countries.” 

Prior to becoming a partner nation, Thailand was part of the BRICS Plus mechanism. As a new official partner country, Thailand and other BRICS nations will collaborate on tourism, personal relationships and trade. Indonesia formally joined BRICS in January. Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs views this as a “strategic step to improve the collaboration and cooperation with other developing nations.” 

Some general themes and shared goals unite the BRICS forum. First is a strong commitment to multilateralism in foreign policy. Most of the countries that join seek a more multipolar world order, as reflected in many of their foreign policy decisions. For example, South Africa and India have practiced non-alignment in their foreign policies for much of their history. Second is the push from BRICS countries to garner representation in major diplomatic global intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations. This pertains to countries in the Global South. 

Another major theme relates to collaboration on economic policies as BRICS was formed soon after the 2008 global recession. This includes rethinking the value of the US dollar, a goal pushed by BRICS leaders who have “long advocated for de-dollarization.” They are advocating for a common BRICS currency or a shift to local currencies. However, the strength and stability of the US dollar make it highly unlikely that BRICS' demands will change that.

There are several differences and disagreements on policy issues among the BRICS countries. Many countries within the coalition are divided on issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, relations with the US, and on topics such as trade, financial stability, economy and more. For example, founding members China and India have long standing tensions and disagreements, especially after the 2020 border dispute. 

Certain BRICS founding members, such as Russia and China favor expanded membership while others such as Brazil and India do not view it as a favorable choice. The ongoing US-China rivalry, deemed by many as the new Cold War, complicates the economic and geopolitical landscape. 

Western nations have mixed responses to the importance of the rise of BRICS. Some political analysts say that the West has “largely downplayed the group’s growth.” Others assert that BRICS countries’ goals are too ambitious and that domestic disagreements between the coalition will prevent it from overtaking the West. 

While the BRICS forum is unlikely to present a strong, unified voice on the global stage in the short term, its influence and presence should not be underestimated. Now, Trump’s America must decide how to approach BRICS in its pursuit to serve as a counterweight to US influence. As some Tufts University scholars argued in 2023, “ignoring BRICS as a major policy force—something the U.S. has been prone to do in the past—is no longer an option.”

Anagha Chakravarti is a staff writer for On the Record. She is from Delhi, India and grew up in Manila, Philippines. She is a senior in the School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics, minoring in International Development and completing a certificate in European Studies.