BRICS Summit: Russian “bricks” for a new “Chinese wall” of disinformation

Reflecting on the BRICS Summit, its Macedonian fans have shared their exaltation in relation to the West gaining a strong opponent that will abolish the dollar, the introduction of a new post-Western world, and the need for North Macedonia to ultimately join this block

 

Author: Stojan Sinadinov

Recently, numerous media outlets have been describing the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, Russia, very vividly, with a word play on the acronym, followed by the impression that Vladimir Putin is not only immune to sanctions from the West, but is also building the new geopolitical configuration of the Global East and Global South “brick by brick.” Nonetheless, even if the allusions of the bricks clearly reflect “Pink Floyd’s” timeless hit “Another Brick In The Wall,” the question arises of whether BRICS will be building a new “Chinese Wall” to protect itself from the West, above all, or would the bricks be used to build a connective bridge?

 

“Truthmeter.mk” has already analyzed the great, almost euphoric attention the domestic media outlets have paid to the summit even before it began, emphasizing it signals a coalition of countries standing with the Russian president , which represent 45 percent of the world population and 35 percent of the global economy. Among them, China stands out, since it accounts for half of the economic power within the BRICS, as well as the certain geopolitical and economic power of India, Turkey, Iran and the rest of the countries which are members or affiliated with this group.  The presence of the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at the summit where Russia took over the BRICS presidency only fueled the controversy, in addition to the expected harsh criticism from Ukraine.

 

Exaltation for the abolishment of the dollar and the new post-Western world

Reflecting on the BRICS Summit, its Macedonian fans have shared their exaltation in relation to the West gaining a strong opponent that will abolish the American dollar, the introduction of a new currency among the member countries of this grouping, which will dominate on the world geopolitical map, and the need for North Macedonia to ultimately join this block.

Finally, what is most important for them, BRICS will not blackmail the new partners (among which North Macedonia promisingly sees itself) like the West, so it will not have to fall to its knees, but have the chance to join the “new post-Western world.” For the chance not to “fall to our knees before the EU doors to enter the kingdom of the fascists and the LGBT ‘patients’” and in the video post which claims BRICS does not blackmail anyone with “the name, identity, language, and culture.”

By replacing the thesis, supporters of the illiberal tendencies create a narrative which in a seemingly sophistical way shifts focus.

Among the posts which glorify BRICS there is also one on the YouTube channel “Sloboden Svet” [“Free World”] which claims this is the only summit that allows Macedonians to be “full-blooded Macedonians” and that “we must be abnormal as people and as individuals” if we do not desire BRICS. The post says the future of Macedonia is within the framework of the BRICS, and we do not need globalist policy which “puts the Macedonian national interests on sale.”

The post of the Russian Embassy to North Macedonia, in relation to the member states of BRICS which “…are ready to work on finding common solutions without external dictation or attempts to impose some narrower approaches to whoever” surely “boosts” the forementioned narratives, which we should join.

 

The desired BRICS supremacy is also reflected in the post which glorifies Russian President Putin, before whom supposedly the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres kneels.

Among the posts which circulate “in honor of BRICS” are those about the single currency of the member states (presented by the president of Russia) which “will replace the dollar,” to whom farewells are already being bid. However, Putin himself was decisive on the matter that the BRICS countries will not reject the dollar.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear at the summit that the BRICS nations are not outright rejecting the US dollar but are preparing alternatives if access to it continues to be restricted. By exploring alternative currencies for trade, BRICS seeks to mitigate the risks posed by such political measures, writes “Financial Express.”

The media outlet mentioned the bill was a mock-up presented to the Russian leader by enthusiasts, not an official note, confirmed officials for “Financial Express.”

 

The real power of BRICS?

Can the cauldron of BRICS be as successful as the American “melting pot” (a place where different peoples, styles, theories, cultures mix…)? What do economic indicators say about the power of BRICS?

Last year, “France24” conducted an extensive analysis on the economic potential of countries which make up 40 percent of the global population and produce more than 25 percent of the global GDP.

The share of the global GDP since the formation of the grouping has been constantly growing — from 8 percent in 2001 it has grown to 26 percent in 2022 — but on the other hand only Russia has a higher GDP per capita (15,345 USD) than the world average, which is 12,657 USD. China’s GDP is right in line with that average (12,720), while Brazil (8,918), South Africa (6,776) and India (2,389) are well below the average. By comparison, the GDP per capita in the United States last year was $81,695.

The media outlet cites an interview given by Jim O’Neill, Chief Economist at the investment bank “Goldman Sachs” and the creator of the BRICS acronym for the French daily newspaper “Le Monde” in 2021, in which he noted that Russia’s and Brazil’s respective shares of the global economy “after a decade of rapid growth, have declined to their 2001 levels.”

“Perhaps I should have called this club the ‘IC’ (for India and China),” O’Neill added. “Or just the ‘C’,” cites “France24.”

Although there are groupings in the region which have great fondness for BRICS, different messages can be conveyed, such as that of the Belgrade political scientist Aleksandar Djokic regarding the absence of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić at the summit in Kazan (where he sent four ministers, in addition to the presence of Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina). Djokic believes BRICS is not a big threat to the West, because in the last 20 years it has not produced any significant results and successes worth mentioning.

We could instead note that China is the serious challenger to the West, not the BRICS. Too much attention is given to it. Serbia, for example, signed a bilateral agreement with China. It is a much more important step both from an economic point of view and regarding the country’s relations with the EU, analyzes Djokic in the Belgrade magazine “Vreme” [Serbian for ‘Time’].

 

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