The BRICS countries (Russia & China) never looked to be as prominent economically as they are today, they were happy to build up one step at a time, but then NATO decided to move right up to Russia's border, Russia found that intolerable, and now the BRICS have taken on a whole new meaning.
Today many countries wish to be affiliated, in one form or another, with the BRICS rather than the “west”. They see that Russia is winning in Ukraine, and they see the damage sanctions imposed by "the West" can do.
It’s just practical considerations. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have joined the BRICS. Uruguay, Iran, Egypt, Thailand, and a number of post-Soviet States have or will do so shortly.
The world is moving away from unipolar US/NATO power. This world wide shift was kicked into overdrive, multiplied tenfold, because of has occurred in Ukraine and the decisions made by the Biden Administration in general.
The west is losing militarily AND economically. Look at where the ruble is. We were “promised” it would dissolve, but it did the opposite.
The US has been the #1 world power because it had the oil or control over those who did, this has been the case since the end of WWII.
Now, it no longer has control or serious influence over Russia OR Saudi Arabia, which therefore means the World has no reason to stick to the petro-dollar system.
When the U.S./NATO decided to play hardball and force Russia's hand, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, most of the world's oil-reserve Nations decided they were better off with the BRICS. This was formalized Jan 1 2024.
A year ago Ukraine was requesting 1,000 artillery pieces and 300 multiple-launch rocket systems, more than the entire active-duty inventory of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps combined. Ukraine also requested 500 main battle tanks more than the combined inventories of Germany and the United Kingdom.
A year ago Ukraine’s President Zelensky addressed the African Union in a virtual session... only 4 out of 54 invited African Heads of State attended (plus some lower ranked folks). They don’t care about what they see as a European conflict, they don’t believe it’s all Putin’s fault and they won’t commit to a potentially losing side. They have bigger fish to fry at home. Look for many more nations to become BRICS members soon.
Its not wise to get into a fight you cannot win, its not wise to get into a fight that could lead to the annihilation of civilization... Russia doesn't have anywhere to retreat to, we are on their doorstep, we either back off (which the Biden Administration clearly won't do) or we escalate into a war that will encompass the globe like no war ever has.
So far, the Biden Administration has only succeeded in forcing Russia into China's waiting arms, cutting it off from the EU (and cutting the EU off from its cheap energy and resources) has only strengthened BRICS and highlighted its importance to the rest of the world.
A Russian foreign policy expert, Fyodor Lukyanov, stated the other day in Beijing that World War III has already begun. He argued that instead of one global conflict that would quickly escalate toward nuclear war, this world war is being fought in the form of a chain of regional conflicts.
From the war in Ukraine, to the war in Gaza, to tensions in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Korean Peninsula, regional conflicts have involved all the great powers, either as combatants or in proxy roles.
Except for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza, the other regional hotspots have yet to erupt as full-blown conflicts; if they do, the two largest superpowers, China and the United States, will be at war.
These conflicts are escalating. China is providing more help to Russia, which is exacerbating already threadbare China-U.S. relations. In the South China Sea and close to the Taiwan Strait, the navies of China and the United States are sailing ever closer to confrontation.
Israel’s attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria led for the first-time to direct retaliation from Tehran. Israel responded with a missile attack on Iran that could now see much greater escalation in the region.
In Africa, the situation is no better. Festering conflicts and resulting displacement fuel a pipeline of humans seeking refuge in Europe, which is tearing apart societies in both continents.
Federal arrangements across a wide range of complex societies such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan have all but collapsed and fuel vicious incipient or actual civil wars.
NATO in Europe, Iran’s Axis of Resistance in the Middle East, AUKUS and the Quad in East Asia. The United States is actively promoting a new NATO-like alliance in Asia that would see Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. allied against China’s rising power.
China has countered with what it calls the General Security Initiative that promises “balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.”
Ending World War II was all about the eventual military supremacy of one alliance over another.
Will World War III end the same way? Will there be a reframing of global security guaranteed by a set of laws and supporting institutions?
The Western-led “rules-based order” that emerged after 1945 is increasingly challenged by an array of emerging middle powers and a web of interests that is not wedded to a specific set of norms and values... other than to be free from American influence and control.
As the U.S. and Europe grapple with conflicting interests, trying to meet the challenge being presented by BRICS and the rising costs of sustaining their own societies... Identity and Culture wars are tearing at the fabric of old-fashioned Western values... in other words attacked from within and without.
Can a trade-based rather than rules-based order be the future of humanity?
It does not appear our current antiquated, out of touch leaders in DC are ready to accept the decline and sidelining of the American Hegemony gracefully, that leads us with only one other option that is becoming increasingly clear... we have been led into WWIII and we weren't even told.
References:
Saudia Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia joined the ranks of the BRICS group on Monday, January 1 2024
https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/02/b … oin-ranks/
40 Countries Ready To Join BRICS in 2024
https://watcher.guru/news/40-countries- … e_vignette
The main objective of the BRICS alliance in 2024 is expansion and de-dollarization. The bloc wants to expand its global footprint by inviting new countries to join the alliance. It also aims to make developing countries ditch the US dollar and trade in local currencies for cross-border transactions.
If BRICS ditches the dollar for trade, the USD currency will return to the homeland leading to hyperinflation in America.
1 year on: A timeline of the war in Ukraine
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/02/ … -one-year/
