Russia promotes 'new world order' agenda during beefed-up BRICS summit.

• On Tuesday, Russia is welcoming its allies with open arms at the BRICS summit, demonstrating its power to the West.
• The group, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was initially established as an organization of rapidly developing countries. However, it has evolved into a geopolitical forum for the world's most powerful nations outside of the Western world, challenging its dominance.

The BRICS summit, hosted by Russia on Tuesday, aims to establish a "new world order" that challenges the West, while welcoming its geopolitical allies.

The group, originally comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, became known as the BRIC nations after South Africa joined in 2010. Since then, it has evolved into a geopolitical forum for the world's most powerful nations outside of the West.

The BRICS gained more influence after Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined the group in January, making membership to the bloc appealing for countries seeking to enhance trade, investment, and economic growth.

Russia has been attempting to win over economically-developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, known collectively as the "Global South," in contrast to the "Global North," which consists of industrialized nations traditionally led by the U.S.

Frequently, Russian President Vladimir Putin expresses his desire to create a "new world order" that would challenge and surpass the dominant position of the U.S.-led West in geopolitics and economics.

Despite being economically isolated and heavily sanctioned by the West, Russia, as the rotating BRICS presidency holder, can use this year's summit to showcase its global influence and secure the support of powerful allies who are willing to overlook its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Putin has stated that the strengthened BRICS group is a clear indication of its growing influence in international affairs and has signaled that he intends to use the "BRICS +" format to challenge the West on both a geopolitical and economic level.

BRICS countries will be the primary drivers of global economic growth in the future, according to Putin, who made this statement last Friday at the BRICS business forum in Moscow.

Putin stated that the economic growth of BRICS members will increasingly rely less on external influence or interference, which is essentially economic sovereignty.

In October, Putin stated that Moscow was willing to use the summit to discuss with its allies the "parameters of interaction in the emerging multipolar world" and was open to discussing the creation of a new world order with all its friends, partners, and like-minded people, as reported by Russian state-owned news agency Tass.

Putin stated that the BRICS and Outreach/BRICS Plus summit, which took place over three days and included officials from nearly 40 countries in the "Global South," was being prepared in the same spirit.

One security analyst stated that the expansion of the BRICS coalition is both significant and performative, according to CNBC.

According to Callum Fraser, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, the collective movement away from the West is a clear indication of a fundamental shift in the world order that aims to challenge Western economic dominance.

Fraser stated that it remains uncertain whether BRICS+ can challenge the dominance of the G7 or if they can agree on a shared vision for the international system.

The aspiration to achieve a Western quality of life is currently the primary glue holding BRICS+ countries together. However, cooperation with the West is perceived as insufficient to achieve this goal. As an alternative institution, BRICS+ operates independently, but its ultimate purpose remains unclear. It is likely that increased cooperation among its members will be the outcome.

Fraser stated that Russia's leadership at the summit would be utilized to demonstrate its dominant position in the emerging order.

Global leaders attending

The 16th BRICS summit is being held under the theme of "fortifying multilateralism for a fair global development and security," with the Kremlin stating that BRICS leaders will discuss "urgent matters on the global and regional agenda," as well as the "three key areas of cooperation as determined by the Russian presidency: politics and security, the economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian ties."

The Kremlin mentioned that the possibility of expanding the BRICS group by introducing a new category of "partner states" would also be discussed.

The conflict in Ukraine may not be explicitly discussed at the summit, but participants can bring it up if they choose.

The Kremlin is avoiding discussing its "special military operation" in Ukraine during the BRICS+ talks, which will focus on pressing international issues, particularly the escalating situation in the Middle East and interactions between the BRICS countries and the Global South in the interests of sustainable development.

Various leaders, including India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China's President Xi Jinping, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, are set to attend meetings with Putin.

Putin and Pezeshkian could sign a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" agreement at the summit, indicating their commitment to deepening military and defense cooperation, after several years of exchanging military and technical support amid the war in Ukraine.

This week, meetings with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are scheduled, as announced by Yury Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy aide. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cancelled his visit to Russia following an accident at his home last weekend where he sustained an injury to his head.

Saudi Arabia, although not yet formally accepted into the BRICS group, is taking part in the latest summit in Kazan. Meanwhile, Argentina has decided not to join the group in 2023 due to a shift in foreign policy.