The Geopolitical (In)Significance of BRICS Enlargement

The original BRICS grouping of five was not a multilateral security alliance like NATO, and neither does the recent expansion of BRICS resemble the expansion of NATO The members of the expanded BRICS are divided between those that are largely hostile toward the West in general and the US in particular (Russia, Iran, and China) and those that have differences with the West but also cooperate with it (all the rest) There are serious tensions between some BRICS+ members that could lead to conflict – or already have. In addition to serious friction between China and India within the earlier five member BRICS, the expanded ten members includes tensions between Iran on the one hand and Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the other, and between Egypt and Ethiopia Although Moscow and Beijing have been closely cooperating with each other on the basis of their joint opposition to “US hegemony” and the “Western liberal international order,” there exists latent tension between them over border issues The US, the EU, and other Western governments should avoid negative overreactions to BRICS expansion in ways that might encourage the members to overcome their divisions. Instead, Western governments should continue to work with those BRICS+ members willing to cooperate with the West