Reshaping the Global Order: BRICS and the Promise of a Multipolar Future World
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi
Editor: Eastern Crescent, Mumbai
For decades, the world has operated under a lopsided architecture of power, dominated by a few Western nations that have monopolized international institutions, shaped global narratives, and enforced policies that serve their own strategic interests. The rise of BRICS signals a transformative shift—one that holds the promise of a truly multipolar world order grounded in fairness, representation, and mutual respect.
Initially formed as BRIC in 2006, with Brazil, Russia, India, and China as founding members, the group evolved into BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa in 2010. Since then, the alliance has expanded dramatically, adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia as full members. Although Argentina was briefly accepted, it later withdrew. In 2025, BRICS further extended its reach by welcoming ten partner countries: Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Cuba, Vietnam, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. Together, these twenty-one nations represent a formidable coalition cutting across continents, cultures, and political systems.
The bloc’s economic and demographic footprint is staggering. BRICS nations account for nearly half of the global population, over thirty percent of the world’s oil production, and more than thirty-five percent of GDP when measured in purchasing power parity. Geographically, they span over thirty percent of the earth’s landmass. China and India alone offer immense economic weight, while resource-rich nations like Russia, Brazil, and the Gulf states add strategic depth.
Among the most ambitious goals of BRICS is the movement toward dedollarization. This initiative seeks to reduce global reliance on the U.S. dollar in cross-border trade and reserves—thus dismantling the grip of a single currency over world commerce. The dollar’s dominance has long enabled the United States to leverage sanctions, impose unilateral financial restrictions, and manipulate markets in favor of its geopolitical interests. A multipolar currency ecosystem, powered by national currencies and alternative frameworks such as the BRICS basket, promises a more balanced and resilient financial order.
The IMF, for instance, has imposed severe austerity measures on vulnerable nations under the pretext of economic assistance. These conditions often plunge recipient countries deeper into debt and poverty, while ensuring continued dependence on Western-led institutions. BRICS counters this structural inequity by supporting new financial institutions like the New Development Bank—ones that operate with greater inclusivity and fewer political strings attached.
Nowhere is the legacy of economic colonialism more evident than in France’s ongoing influence over African economies. The CFA franc, used by fourteen African nations, is minted in France and pegged to the euro, rendering these states monetarily subservient. France continues to extract uranium, gold, and other precious resources from its former colonies under highly skewed arrangements, securing billions in profits while the local populations remain impoverished. Such models of exploitation have no place in a reimagined world order.
Another stark illustration of global injustice lies in the treatment of the Muslim world. The fifty-seven Muslim-majority countries under the banner of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation represent more than two billion people, command a substantial share of the oil market, and contribute trillions in global trade. Yet not a single Muslim country holds veto power at the United Nations Security Council, nor meaningful influence in institutions like the IMF or WHO. This absence from the decision-making core reflects a systemic bias that BRICS seeks to confront.
The veto system itself, instituted in 1945 after World War II, grants absolute power to only five nations: the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. This undemocratic privilege has allowed these countries to override the collective will of the global community, often to shield allies or pursue narrow agendas. The repeated use of the U.S. veto to protect Israel—despite its ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories and widely documented human rights violations—has perpetuated decades of suffering and denied justice to millions. This veto-enabled impunity exemplifies how institutional structures have failed the very principles of democracy and human rights they claim to uphold.
A new global order demands new voices. Africa, South America, and the Middle East must be accorded their rightful place in shaping international policy. BRICS offers not just economic cooperation but a vision for global equity. It is a call to dismantle long-standing hierarchies, to end unilateralism, and to construct a world governed by shared values rather than strategic vetoes.
Whether this vision is realized depends on sustained commitment and unity among BRICS members, and their ability to counter pressures from entrenched powers. The path will be complex, but the promise of a multipolar future—a future where nations stand not in hierarchy but in partnership—is one worth pursuing.
