As 2024 draws to a close, the remarkable expansion of BRICS stands out as the biggest geopolitical story of the year.

BRICS has informally been on the horizon of world politics since the mid-2000s. But this year, the bloc’s dawn made way for a spectacular sunrise, promising a fairer multipolar world order.

It was sparked by an unprecedented jump in the bloc’s membership, partner base, and global following.

Significantly, this year’s BRICS sunrise has expedited the sunset of the US-led G7 grouping’s hegemony in world politics.

For those who missed the changing of the tide that got buried under other headlines – Gaza, Ukraine, US elections, and Syria – 2024 is a watershed year for BRICS.

Events throughout the year showed that the world order is finally shifting towards a balanced geopolitical landscape. And 2024 might have spelt the endgame for the imperialist tendencies of a small clique of US-led Western countries.

The year set the stage for an open, just, and equitable world order headed democratically by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa – the original BRICS line-up – and the bloc’s new members and new partner countries.

Beeline for BRICS

A quick look at the timeline of events shows why 2024 is a turning point for world politics.

On January 1, four more nations – Egypt, the UAE, Iran, and Ethiopia – formally joined BRICS, pushing the bloc’s membership up from five to nine.

Then October marked a whole new milestone for the grouping when BRICS invited a dozen countries to become ‘partner nations’ – Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda,........

© TRT World