Emerging economies are balancing alliances, aligning with the United States and its allies one day, and with Russia and China the next, according to an international affairs professor.
An expert commented on Friday, October 25, that the expanded BRICS bloc, formed to counterbalance Western influence, marks “the beginning of a new type of international order” as the group’s three-day summit in Russia concluded.
Originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, BRICS added 13 partner nations on Wednesday, October 24, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand from Southeast Asia.
Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, highlighted this shift, saying, “What’s most notable is that a large group of countries from the Global South—India, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, and others—are increasingly balancing their alliances.” He pointed out, “One day, they side with the United States and its allies; the next, they lean toward Russia and China.”
Kupchan emphasized that these emerging economies in the Global South are not committing solely to a Russia-China or a U.S.-led alliance, suggesting a multipolar world.
Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia, a distinguished fellow at India’s Gateway House, observed that BRICS is setting a direction for its expansion, adding that the bloc has identified a “new category of dialogue partners” to enhance its global influence.
