Heads of state and government from the BRICS group of nations are gathering in Brazil for the 2025 Summit. Leaders at the forum will be talking about increasing cooperation, amid what they say are serious concerns over the international order.

State of Rio de Janeiro

The 17th BRICS Summit is underway in Rio de Janeiro, with heightened security as leaders from the expanded group convene to discuss global cooperation. The bloc, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, now includes several new members such as Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, the UAE, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, though the latter's entry is yet to be formalized.

Amid warnings from Brazilian officials about a collapsing multilateral order, the summit aims to promote a multipolar world and greater representation for the Global South. Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending online due to an international arrest warrant, and China's president is absent for the first time, which is viewed as a setback for the host nation. The agenda covers issues like health, climate change, and artificial intelligence, while the bloc's unity and ability to challenge Western dominance remain in question.

BRICS leaders meet in Brazil amid 'world disorder' warnings

Rio de Janeiro looks like it's preparing for a military confrontation, rather than a meeting of leaders of the Global South. 17,000 police and soldiers surrounded the venue of the 17th BRICS Summit. Originally a forum for five emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, it has recently expanded to 11 countries, including Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, the UAE, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which still has to formalize its entry. BRICS' goal is to exert pressure for a multipolar world, with inclusive global governance, to give a meaningful voice to the Global South, especially in the trading system. Brazil's Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor warns the multilateral order is collapsing. We are coming back to a kind of world disorder, which is very similar to the one that preceded the two world wars. We don't want a world dominated by the G7. We want a balanced world in which the interests of developing countries are taken into account. BRICS are larger than the G7 countries in terms of global GDP, but it's not a trade bloc, nor a military alliance. For all the security, the heads of state who would presumably want it most aren't coming. Russia's Vladimir Putin, for example, will be attending the meeting online because of the international arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court. And for the first time, China's president has declined to attend. This is seen as a huge blow for fellow BRICS founder and host country, Brazil. Prior to the summit, China had failed to convince BRIC foreign ministers to take a more aggressive position against President Donald Trump's tariff war. One of the forum's achievements has been the creation of a development bank for the Global South as an alternative to the World Bank. Our bank is more than just a major bank for emerging countries. It proves that a reformed financial architecture is viable. The summit agenda includes health, climate change and artificial intelligence cooperation. But some claim the forum wants to challenge Western dominance. It's undeniable that China dominates the bloc, but it's not like the Soviet hegemony. The bloc isn't super-organized, nor does it have radical global impact. The real question is, can an expanded BRICS, whose members have very different political systems and priorities, form a sufficiently unified bloc to have any significant impact? Lucia Newman, Al Jazeera, Rio de Janeiro.

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Breakdown