New Technologies and International Security

This chapter explores the evolving role of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in reshaping global security, technological innovation, and international governance amid the shifting geopolitical context of the mid-2020s. Once conceived primarily as an economic alliance, the BRICS have progressively expanded their agenda to include new domains—most notably security, artificial intelligence (AI), and defense cooperation—positioning themselves as an emerging pole of influence within a multipolar world order. Against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s renewed presidency and his “America First” policies, this expansion has acquired renewed significance, as the group seeks to consolidate internal cohesion and strategic autonomy in the face of heightened global instability. The chapter traces the institutional evolution of BRICS cooperation in Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), beginning with the 2011 Sanya Summit and the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding on STI, which established a framework for collaboration on issues such as AI, renewable energy, nanotechnology, and space research. The analysis highlights how these initiatives have enabled the BRICS to position themselves as normative actors in global science governance, particularly through the 2024 Kazan Declaration and the 2025 Leaders’ Declaration on the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence. These documents underscore the bloc’s ambition to promote equitable access to technology, protect digital sovereignty, and prevent new forms of “digital colonialism” that risk deepening inequalities between the Global North and South. At the same time, the chapter examines the growing security dimension of BRICS cooperation, characterized by increased defense spending, military modernization, and joint exercises—especially between China and Russia—alongside persistent intra-group rivalries such as those between India and China. Through platforms like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the newly created BRICS Nuclear Energy Platform, the bloc is gradually institutionalizing its strategic and security agenda, emphasizing multilateralism, non-intervention, and respect for sovereignty. Finally, the chapter situates the BRICS within the broader system of global governance, contrasting their cooperative, development-oriented approach with NATO’s collective defense model. By invoking the legacy of the Non-Aligned Movement, the BRICS aim to articulate an alternative vision of global order—one grounded in pluralism, technological inclusivity, and balanced power relations. The chapter concludes that the BRICS’ ability to overcome internal divergences and translate normative aspirations into practical governance mechanisms will be decisive for the future of global security and technological governance.