Significance of the Kazan Summit

The Kazan summit of the BRICS bloc is poised to shape global geopolitics by asserting a collective vision that challenges the current Western-dominated world order. The BRICS alliance, originally comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded its reach by inviting new members, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE. This expansion, coupled with the recent geopolitical shifts driven by growing competition between the West and major powers like Russia and China, sets the stage for the summit to become a significant milestone in the ongoing push for an alternative world order.

The BRICS bloc has long been a platform for emerging economies to express dissatisfaction with Western-led global governance structures. With its members representing nearly 40% of the world’s population and around 25% of global GDP, BRICS carries substantial weight in international discussions on economic development, climate change, and multilateral cooperation. However, its expanded membership now introduces new dimensions of influence, particularly in energy markets and developing economies. The key agenda for the BRICS summit in Kazan is advancing a multipolar world order. This vision seeks to reduce the dominance of the U.S. and the Western-led global financial system by increasing the use of non-dollar currencies in international trade and encouraging reforms in multilateral institutions. The New Development Bank (NDB), created by BRICS in 2015 as an alternative to the World Bank, is one such initiative aimed at offering a non-Western model for development financing. However, the NDB’s lending capacity remains dwarfed by its Western counterparts, indicating that while BRICS has made some progress, it still faces considerable........

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