Building BRICS (Chapter4) – Challenges and opportunities for South-South collaboration in a multipolar world

The formation of BRICS is one of the main features of globalization in the 21st century. Originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the group has become a political and economic platform since the late 2000s.
The rise of BRICS reinforced the entrenched imaginary of ‘modernization’ and ‘development’ in the Global South, giving rise to some optimism about the ability of these countries to become na alternative to Western hegemony. Nearly two decades later, the BRICS countries continue to meet this ideal as geopolitical tensions have risen and more than 20 countries have applied to join the group. These include the wealthy oil-producing and exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Iran, as well as Ethiopia.