BRICS
Emerging-market bloc whose internal split over Iran exposed the limits of consensus diplomacy.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
BRICS welcomed Iran and its Gulf rivals — so why can't it speak at all?
Latest on BRICS
- What is BRICS?
- BRICS is an emerging-market bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, founded as a formal diplomatic organisation at its first summit in 2009. In January 2024 it expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The bloc operates by consensus only, with no permanent secretariat or binding votes.
- Did BRICS condemn the US-Israeli strikes on Iran?
- BRICS could not agree. China, Russia, and Brazil condemned the US-Israeli strikes while India, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE condemned Iranian missile attacks on Gulf States, leaving the bloc unable to issue any unified statement.Source: Lowdown
- Why can't BRICS hold an emergency meeting on the Iran conflict?
- BRICS operates by consensus only; no member can convene an emergency session without unanimous agreement. With Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE all sitting on opposite sides of the 2026 conflict, no consensus is possible. Brazil holds the 2025 presidency but has no mechanism to force a meeting.Source: Lowdown
- How many members does BRICS have in 2026?
- BRICS has ten members as of 2024: the original five (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Argentina was invited but declined to join.
- What is the difference between BRICS and the G7?
- The G7 comprises the world's largest advanced economies and operates with a strong Western foreign-policy consensus. BRICS was formed explicitly to challenge Western institutional dominance and now accounts for roughly 36% of global GDP (PPP) and 45% of world population, but its consensus-only structure prevents it from taking binding collective action of the kind G7 statements routinely achieve.
Background
Founded in 2009 at its first formal summit in Yekaterinburg, BRICS was coined as a Goldman Sachs investment thesis in 2001 before becoming a diplomatic bloc. South Africa joined in 2010. The Johannesburg summit in August 2023 invited six new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Argentina (which declined), all effective January 2024. The bloc operates by consensus only, with no binding votes or enforcement powers.
BRICS failed its first major military test when the bloc could not issue a unified statement on the Iran-Israel-US conflict. China, Russia, and Brazil condemned US-Israeli strikes; India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned Iranian missile attacks on Gulf States, producing two irreconcilable positions inside the same organisation. Iran has since filed legislation proposing a replacement nuclear treaty with SCO and BRICS member states should it leave the NPT.
The expansion meant to signal multipolarity has become the source of the bloc's paralysis: three new members, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, sit on opposite sides of a live armed conflict. Brazil, holding the 2025 presidency, cannot convene an emergency session without consensus, exposing how little procedural authority the rotating chair carries.
