BRICS and the future of global power

Indeed, there was an upsurge of policy and academic debate about the growing importance of non-Western regions and their leading states, notably Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the so-called BRICS, for international politics and the world economy.

The story suggested that power was diffusing away from the United States and the West; that the emerging powers were becoming far more consequential actors, both globally and within “their” regions; and that, to remain effective and legitimate, global governance institutions needed to be reformed in order to accommodate their rise.