Moscow sees the Western world order as collapsing and seeks to promote a new global balance at which it will be central. Putin frequently denounces American dominance and speaks of a new “multipolar world” on the horizon.
During the BRICS summit, Putin emphasised that “a multipolar model is evolving, engendering a new wave of growth, primarily in the Global South and East countries, as well as in BRICS countries, of course.” Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov seeks to position BRICS as a champion of global justice and polycentrism, suggesting “the West needs to think about its place in the multipolar world order…now epitomised by a number of regional integration processes in Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America.” In keeping with this mindset, the BRICS countries approved “the Kazan Declaration,” which focuses on “the emergence of new centers of power” that can “pave the way for a more equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order.”
Russia also seeks to advance BRICS media cooperation to bolster “stability.” Late last year, TV BRICS signed partnerships with media companies in Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Mozambique; and, this week, TV BRICS launched an Arabic version of its news portal, adding to its outreach in Russian, English, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Putin is also using the BRICS summit to spread Kremlin propaganda about Ukraine; and with an audience of nations representing Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, his words are creating dangerous and far-reaching misperceptions.
In a speech, while talking about the failures of the current world order, Putin used Ukraine as an example of the West trying to “create critical threats to Russian security, while ignoring our vital interests, our just concerns, and the infringement of the rights of Russian-speaking people.”
Since its founding 15 years ago, reality has seldom matched BRICS’ ambition. Still, the failure of Western countries to counter Russian propaganda laundered through BRICS and to attach a cost to membership enables the organisation to strengthen. The bloc continues to attract new members and this week added 13 new nations to the alliance as partner countries.
As Russia leads BRICS in attempting to reshape the Western-led liberal order, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has chosen to attend the BRICS summit, even though there is an arrest warrant for Putin issued by the International Criminal Court due to war crimes committed in Ukraine. The decision has been met with much criticism, given Kyiv had invited Guterres to a Global Peace Summit in Switzerland this past June, only to be declined. His attendance is a dream come true for Putin and his ideological ambitions.
While Putin presides over the summit, talking about how a new international system will reflect “respect for international law,” his illegal war rages in Ukraine. Guterres’ attendance sends a gravely wrong signal, playing into Putin’s hand and legitimizing his actions.
If the United States, United Kingdom and their Western allies wish to preserve a liberal order that has brought unprecedented global wealth, it is essential that Western leaders remind Moscow’s allies that the model Russia upholds leads to poverty, not prosperity and they should consider “BRICS-exit”.
Russia may throw a good summit, but its allies – most recently Armenia – seek to flee its embrace for a reason. It is one thing to hitch a wagon to a strong horse; it is another to tie it to a hobbled pony with delusions of grandeur that is slowly sinking into quicksand.
Dr Ivana Stradner is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington DC