Beyond the BRICS

A second tier of middle-income powers is emerging beyond the Brazil, India, China, Russia, and South Africa (BRICS) group. These countries complicate traditional conceptions of East vs. West and developed vs. developing nations. CFR Senior Fellow Stewart M. Patrick analyses the global impact of this shift:

• The BRICS have formed a formal group; however, questions remain over whether they will turn their economic clout into political power. Though they align on some issues like the role of the dollar, they collide on others such as the value of democracy.
• Eleven countries outside the BRICS have been identified as the next crop of global powers: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, South Korea, Pakistan, Mexico, the Philippines, Turkey, and Vietnam.
• These nations are all clamoring to reform global institutions and upset traditional divisions of international relations. But are they prepared to assume global responsibilities?

This video is part of The Internationalist, a series dedicated to in-depth discussions about leveraging multilateral cooperation to meet today’s transnational challenges.