#brics expansion

[workersolidarity]

Interesting new graph from Visual Capitalist on the BRICS expansion.

BRICS has agreed to accept the following six new Members States:

Egypt

Ethiopia

Argentina

Iran

UAE

Saudi Arabia

Together, BRICS will now encompass 46% of the Global population, representing 29% of Global GDP, 25% of Global Exports, and 43% of Global Oil Production.

[kesarijournal]

Unraveling India’s BRICS and BRI Conundrum

In a world where geopolitics often resembles a complex game of 3D chess, India finds itself pondering its next move on a board set by two ambitious projects – the expansion of BRICS and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Imagine a chessboard, not with mere black and white squares, but a vibrant mosaic of global interests, strategic rivalries, and the occasional pawn aspiring to be a queen.…

[digitalguap]

Dire Warning Issued: This Dollar Transformation Will Change Everything

I am issuing a dire warning that this dollar transformation will change everything. As I delve into this topic, I cannot help but feel a sense of urgency in sharing the potential consequences of this upcoming financial shift. In this blog post, I will discuss the implications of this dollar transformation and what it means for us, as individuals and as a society. Join me as I navigate through the…

[lonnewulf]

Discover how the BRICS group's historic expansion, welcoming Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Iran, is set to reshape global economics and foster new alliances. Explore the geopolitical implications and future prospects in this insightful article.

[head-post]

What BRICS expansion means

On 1 January 2024, BRICS, an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, admitted four new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The enlargement could increase the economic influence of its member states, according to The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).

The decision to expand BRICS was taken at the Johannesburg summit in August 2023. BRICS+ (the unofficial name since the expansion) now accounts for 37.3 per cent of global GDP. However, in addition to increased economic power, the new members could bring potential divisions, making it difficult to reach consensus on common policy stances.

Expansion is regarded as increasing the influence of the group and developing countries as a whole in international organisations, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and the Bretton Woods institutions, since the new members will contribute only about 4 per cent to the group’s total GDP.

Interaction with the BRICS+ countries is conducted mainly on a case-by-case basis. For instance, the EU co-operates with Brazil, India and South Africa on strategic issues and negotiates a free trade agreement with India.

However, the organisations diverge on political views, demonstrating dissent on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Read more HERE

[usnewsper-business]

BRICS nations expanding their economic cooperation is positive for world economy #america #BRICS #economicgrowth #Expansion #worldeconomy

[xtruss]

What BRICS Expansion Means For India

From left: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appear at the 2023 BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 24.Gianluigi Guercia/AFP via Getty Images

The main headline from last week’s BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, is that the bloc will expand, adding new members for the first time since South Africa’s admission in 2010. It may be easy to see the enlargement of BRICS—currently made up of Brazil 🇧🇷, Russia 🇷🇺, India 🇮🇳, China 🇨🇳, and South Africa 🇿🇦 —as a bad thing for New Delhi. After all, more members could elevate Beijing’s influence in the group.

Some observers are also concerned about BRICS’s future orientation. One of the new members, Iran, is at odds with the West; the group—initially intended to promote the voices of emerging economies—could take on a more clearly anti-Western stance, especially given China’s and Russia’s influence. That would present a challenge for India, which aims to balance relations with the West and the countries beyond it.

However, this analysis overlooks the potential benefits of BRICS expansion for India. First, more members may grant China more influence on the global stage, but it also means more influence for BRICS itself. That is good for India, which has long viewed the bloc as an important entity because it champions the causes of the global south and contributes to multipolarity, two foreign-policy priorities for New Delhi.

Aside from Iran, the other new members—Argentina 🇦🇷, Egypt 🇪🇬, Ethiopia 🇪🇹, Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦, and the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪—are not staunchly anti-West. As a result, a larger BRICS can hardly be described as an anti-Western bloc. And half of the new members are top Indian partners: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Finally, most of the additions are in the Middle East, a growing arena for New Delhi’s engagement because of energy and trade interests and broader geopolitical considerations.

The BRICS expansion didn’t go entirely New Delhi’s way. India was reportedly opposed to adding another country that is subject to international sanctions such as Iran, which is not only hostile toward the West but also expanding ties with China. Analysts have rightly noted that most of the new members are also key sources of engagement for Beijing.

But it could have been much worse for India, especially since it also enjoys relations with all of the new members, including Iran. New Delhi will see six friendly countries added to BRICS, most of them in a region key to Indian interests.

India could face new challenges in the future: BRICS could expand further, and the next round of new members may not be as favorable to India. For example, China and Russia could push for Pakistan to join, although its weak economy would make it a poor candidate. But India enjoys strong ties with the global south, largely because of its historic role as a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War. Most potential new BRICS members would be at least friendly to New Delhi.

Ultimately, discussions about what BRICS expansion means for India may be getting ahead of themselves. That’s because new members could exacerbate one of the bloc’s weaknesses: a struggle to execute, or as FP’s C. Raja Mohan describes it, to turn “soaring rhetoric on global issues into concrete, practical outcomes.” This stems from BRICS’s consensus-based decision-making process. With 11 members instead of five, it will be even more difficult to reach consensus.

For now, this much is true: BRICS expansion could advance Indian interests, giving New Delhi more clout with a set of nations with which it is keen to expand relations.

— Foreign Policy | August 30, 2023

[workersolidarity]

Ethiopia asks to join BRICS bloc of emerging economies | Reuters

BRICS continues to expand and create a healthy economic alternative to Western Finance and IMF development.

Every country that chooses to participate in the BRICS alternative is helping to build a viable alternative to Western Institutions like the World Bank and IMF, and is helping to defeat Western Imperialism.

The only thing that allows the United States to debt spend freely on expansive Military Bases, huge Defense contracts, massive military procurement projects, wholesale personal data collection, and participation in Military operations around the world is the world's dependence on the US Dollar for trade and commerce.

Every step taken to break down that system of Imperialist control is a step in the right direction, a step towards the economic sovereignty of the Global South and Asia, and hopefully eventually the rest of the world sees the value in having national sovereignty free from US Hegemony and Wall Street Inspired Neoliberalism.

[faultfalha]

The days pass slowly in South Africa and the people watch with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation as BRICS expands its reach. The distant echoes of history, the complexities of change, and the promise of a new future are all part of the thought process as citizens contemplate what will come of this evolving unity. The sun rises to a new dawn and brings with it a vibrant life in the land, one that wonders and wanders through the possibilities that BRICS expansion offers.

[digitalguap]

Russia's Recent Economic Warning: A Deadly Alert to Watch For

Welcome, dear readers, to our blog post where we delve into Russia’s recent economic warning and shed light on the potentially grave implications it holds. As we closely examine this pressing issue, we aim to share valuable insights and bring forth a solemn wake-up call that we ought to heed. Together, let us explore the intricate web of factors contributing to this warning and decipher the…

[worldpoliticsatglance]

Argentina's Economic Crisis: Exploring the Potential of BRICS Membership

Argentina is passing through toughest of the times the country has ever witnessed. An Economic Crisis with the inflation rates surged 100 percent in historic spike and poverty hovering close to 40 percent. The country is grappling with $44.5 billion International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) debt.

The question that raises here whether Argentina would embrace membership of BRICS under these circumstances?

The alliance represents the two major adversaries of United States, China and Russia along other members Brazil, India, and South Africa.

Background of the Crisis:

Argentina is facing worst economic crisis from the depression 1998 to 2002. It was reported that when unemployment reached 20 percent and while more than half of the population remained below the poverty line.

Read More

[yuri-alexseygaybitch]

Libs really not coping well with BRICS expansion right now huh

[mapsontheweb]

Visualizing the 2023 BRICS Expansion

by VisualCap

[webxgal]

[Ⅷ] ne puero gladium

do not give a sword to a boy.

If you had to crane your head anymore to look up at the expansive tower, you might just crack your neck.

It’s not like you can voice your real feelings on Tartarus. How its protruding staircases and walls remind you of a mangled body. How it shined like a castle, a beacon for the Dark Hour. How Tatsumi Port Island suddenly felt like a macabre kingdom. So instead, you echo the most obvious and mention how you can’t even see the top of the tower where you stand. Iori responds to you with a drawn-out groan, already beginning a rant about how long it will take to reach the end until Kirijo cuts him off.

“Like always, I will be staying in the lobby to communicate with you all,” She turns to you, “You have your Evoker, yes?”

You lift it from its place in the holster Sanada had given you when you first tried to shove it into your blazer pocket stupidly. The metal is cold against your hand, and it’s heavier than you expected it to be, considering it’s just a fake gun. You wonder how much trouble you will have with using it. Kirijo nods approvingly once you confirm the presence of your Evoker, now turning her attention to Arisato. You had done your best to conceal your surprise when it was explained that he was the (however temporary) leader of SEES. He must have been part of it before his moving here, you rationalised. Now, standing there while everyone looks at him expectantly, you feel the air of dependency that surrounds him. You will later learn it is not idolisation, far from it. It’s just the security that follows having Minato by their side, knowing the sheer grandiose of his power cannot fail them.

He turns to you, azure eyes meeting yours before they quickly dart in the direction of Takeba and Iori. A silent confirmation that it was time, they met him with practised nods. Your eyes follow a disk situated offside the grand staircase, a juxtaposition of steel and thick wires. The odd gimmick looks as if it could belong in sci-fi movies, you note with round-eyed fascination. Takeba gently points out it is a teleporter upon your curious stare and you watch with a gaped mouth when Arisato casually steps onto the metal platform and disappears. Your initial apprehension melted at the sight of technology that felt a hundred years too early to be introduced. You wonder what the limit is for the likes of the Kijiro group.

You feel a pang of despondency when you instinctively reach for a camera that no longer exists. With so much of your focus being hogged by such world-changing developments, you barely had time to mourn for your beloved camera. All you can do is hope the interior of Tarturus is boring enough that you feel no interest in snapping photographs. The call of your name interrupts you, just as you are about to follow Takeba’s dispersed figure. Kirijo stands still, and you feel the insides of your stomach shift when you realise you can’t decipher the look on Kirijo’s expression. You hated it when you couldn’t tell what people were thinking.

“Best of luck. It’s your first time here, so make sure not to stray from Arisato’s side,” She hesitates for the briefest of seconds before continuing, “... If you need anything, just say so.”

You respond with a noncommittal ‘thanks’, and you don’t think you did a good job hiding your unease because Kirijo turns around without another word, busying herself with the clunky-looking radio on her bike. You leave without a word, disappearing after your other teammates. Looking back on this moment from the future, you wish you had been a little more observant of the tremor in Mitsuru’s hands.

You are sourly let down once you lay eyes on the inside of Tartarus. Shrouded in melancholy shades of royal purple, and walls carved in gothic architecture, you feel lightheaded as you take in the design of the interior. For once, you ignore the nonplussed look Takeba directs your way as you go to poke at the walls, surprised to find it made from regular bricks and stones.

“Are you…” Iori’s voice dies at his throat, unsure of whether this situation calls for judgment or concern. Amongst your dazed admiration, you fail to notice Arisato’s eyes following your movements closely, mild amusement lingering on his otherwise indifferent expression.

“This place is so eerie,” You comment, and you are lucky that Takeba and Iori miss the tone of awe in your voice.

“Oh, definitely. I keep getting the chills,” Takeba rubs her hand on her arm, her attention falling back on the leader who's been quietly watching you. “So, should we start?”

Traversing around the floor was more blind work than you expected. You assumed it shouldn’t be too difficult to wander around to look for a supposed staircase up, but you were proven wrong when Kirijo’s audio crackled out at some point and there was obvious desperation in the eyes of Takeba, and disappointment in Arisato’s. Until Kirijo can fix the issues on her end, it was deemed you will all have to guess your way up to the next staircase, and with no way to identify oncoming shadows. It fills you with nerves and grotesque curiosity if the shadows here were any different than the ones on the monorail. Were they smaller? Larger? What kind of mutant bodies will they inhabit, ones that will make you gasp as it's grandiose or cause a shiver down your spine? However, your desire to not be struck down by one again outweighed your morbid idiosyncrasy and so you obediently followed the back of your silent leader. The term still feels strange to utter out loud.

Iori’s curse rings loudly in the echo chamber of a place, and it immediately grabs the group's vigilance by turning heads. It’s a shadow, a blob on the floor and it resembles spilled ink to you. Its hollow socket for eyes still manages to send you into a cold sweat, but your teammates’ nerves do not show on their faces. They immediately latch onto their Evokers, as if it were second and instinctive nature. You grab yours with trembling, unsure hands. It seems the shadow quickly caught on to their intent at resistance, as it immediately melts into a more forbidding-looking creature. It takes a more human appearance, and it is more ghastly than the blob it once was before. A tattered cloak and ominous mask cover its monstrous features, standing on two stilts for legs. Now knowing that death does not await putting an Evoker to your head, you watch with fascination as Arisato pins the barrel to his temple, followed by the distinct sound of shattering glass. A familiar beast of a creature emerges, metallic and shining. The call of its name, Orpheus , escapes Arisato’s lips and you think this is the loudest you’ve ever heard him be. Orpheus strikes immediately, flames enwrapping the dense space as the shadow shrieks in warning. However, it’s not enough to kill it and matters worsen when backup arrives upon a shrieking call. Takeba’s bow is aimed and Iori stands on the defensive. You are unable to pay notice to how Arisato’s usually placid expression hardens at the sudden ambush, your throat constricting as one shadow suddenly makes rapid advancement towards you. You know there is only one way to protect yourself, none of your teammates can assist you while being attacked themselves. Your grip is shaky as you point your Evoker to your forehead, your fingers hesitantly resting on the trigger. The act of mimicking suicide, you think, and you feel detest pool in your gut. A coward’s escape, something you despise and now are ironically imitating. Your mother and father flash in your mind and a whirlwind of emotions settle in. Rage, that you still think of them in a moment like this. Two fuck ups who had no business raising a child, who don’t deserve beautiful things like memory and mourning. Then comes the fear, that you aren’t worried for your safety even with a gun pointed to your head. Were you always going to dangle off this cliff, at risk of becoming like them?

You pull the trigger and it feels as if the world cracks around your feet, all before shattering. You feel yourself jerk back, even without any impact. There was no bullet to your skull, just grating ringing in your ears before the earth goes still. No thoughts go through your mind at the moment, and you feel nothing. No fear, no exhilaration, no anger. For those few seconds, you feel above living and above even death. Then, you hear something. A whisper in your ears, and it mutters a name that you mindlessly repeat.

“Electra!”

It’s a sensation of falling back down to earth, not a crash but as if you were floating. Every emotion and every sensation invades you all at once. The call of your name, the ground beneath your feet, the wind on your back. Yet, your focus is completely and utterly absorbed by the shadow in front of you. Electra stands tall, with glass eyes and her skeleton figure. A spell leaves your lips, one you’ve never uttered before but it feels like you’ve known of it your whole life. Aqua , and the shadow is immediately assaulted by springs of blue. The water attacks with vigour and lightning speed, and it’s not long before it vanquishes under the ferocity of Electra . You hadn’t realised you were holding your breath until a long exhale leaves you and your chest feels lighter. When you turn around, the crowd of shadows have been dispersed and Arisato strikes the final blow on the remaining one. With the immediate threat to their life gone, your teammates were quick to surround you. Takeba is asking how you are feeling, while Iori is already making quips, but also asserts how he totally doesn’t mind picking up your slack. Arisato keeps a comfortable distance, but when your eyes trail to him he surprises you once again.

“Good work,” It’s simple words of encouragement, but for someone who speaks only out of necessity it manages to hold some weight. You feel your face heat up, shifting your weight onto one foot at the unexpected attention from the trio. However, it is interrupted by a loud crackle from the radio, indicating that Kirijo managed to somehow fix the faulty connection. She expresses her relief when you all confirm your status, and reinstates that she can hold the connection until the end of the Dark Hour. Without further ado, you continue your exploration with the guidance of the senior student.

You didn’t expect how sudden exhaustion would hit you, like a bullet train to an unassuming person. You always believed your stamina was a little better than this, your long walks around Port Island at condemnable hours being your testament. However, in each step, you felt as if you were straggling. Your teammates move with much more dexterity and you envy the lack of sweat that shined from their brows. Takeba is the first one to notice your lagging and something in the hazel hues of her eyes told you she expected this much.

“It takes a lot out of you when you summon your Persona for the first time,” She explains to you as she takes a place by your side. You feel warm and a little ashamed under the glow of her concern, but she’s already turned to the leader with furrowed brows. “I think it’d be a good idea to head back today since she’s exhausted.”

Arisato nods in agreement, and strides towards you with something in hand. He waits expectantly and you hesitantly open up your palm for him. You blink at the packeted snack he places in your hand and you look up to catch a trace of humour in his expression before he continues.

“It’ll help give you some energy,” He states simply and you aren’t completely sure if store-bought bread is enough to help you with your severe fatigue, but you are never one to deny a kind act from another. You chew on the rather stretchy loaf as Kirijo brings awareness to the teleporter in the room. The walk is rather uneventful, with shadows cleared and Iori’s chatter and Takeba’s retorts being the only sign of life within the floor. You don’t take note of her squared shoulders and her brief glances to the side of your head until she speaks, tone filled with uncertainty.

“Hey, so…” She begins and pauses, and it sounds unnatural for her to sound so awkward. That’s how you speak. “How do you feel about…”

You look at her patiently, and you wonder if you made the wrong move because she already begins to backtrack with a strained sigh. She sounds frail, and it’s only when the two of you become closer do you learn of the weight that’s burdened her shoulders since she was a little girl. You will learn to understand her pain, but hold yourself back because you are an envious and greedy thing who will always wish for a closeness only she and Mitsuru can have. But for now, you both are just two teenage girls who have nothing in common and are too tired to keep up a pretence of a conversation. So, you fall into step with the two boys and wish for the safety of your covers. You don’t even notice how your fingertips gently trace the engravings of your Evoker.

Memento Mori .

[zvaigzdelasas]

"We have agreed on the matter of expansion," she told a radio station run by her ministry.The leaders from the BRICS nations have adopted a document that sets out guidelines, principles and processes to consider for countries who want to join the stable.[...] She said a more detailed announcement would be made by the BRICS leaders before the conclusion of the Summit on Thursday.[...] Pandor said Rousseff had indicated some really exciting thinking about the future and the whole discourse around the use of local currencies.

23 Aug 23