Oh BRICS …
BRICS at a Crossroads: A Clear-Eyed Check-In
The meme that “BRICS is in a coma,” first shared by our friend Pepe Escobar, has been on my mind. I took the past week to look closely: Is there hope flickering back to life? Are the BRICS muscles showing any movement? Is anyone doing the necessary physiotherapy while the corpus lies quiet?
Let’s step back:
The Johannesburg BRICS Summit was a moment of real growth—and real growing pains. It was there that President Lula da Silva vetoed Venezuela’s entry while extending an invitation to Argentina, which was not very respectfully declined.
It was also the summit where BRICS doubled in size. But on day two—when leaders’ statements were scheduled—the leaders stayed in their “lair,” time ticked by, and we waited. A journalist friend on the ground messaged me immediately: “We have a problem.”
Eventually, Chairman Xi Jinping’s spokesperson delivered his statement. We hardly saw the others. Was it Lula? Was it structure? Or both?
In hindsight, many of us said it then: Too much growth, too soon.
The Kazan Summit felt like fresh water from a mountain brook.
New members had a year to settle in; the friction of Johannesburg softened. Under Russian leadership, the bones of the expanded BRICS took shape. The distinction between core BRICS and BRICS+ clarified. Our eyes glimmered with hope again. And the principles? Fully laid out in that massive, thoughtful 134-point Kazan Manifesto
https://sovereignista.com/2024/10/29/brics-kazan-summit-manifesto
Here is how we do it, friends. This is what needs to be done. We have a map and a manifesto. We have creative human potential and a strong zeal to change our world. We have a plan. We know what the future could look like.
Brazil took the chair and scheduled its BRICS summit mid-year—clearly aligning with preparations for COP30. From the start, it felt less like a BRICS summit and more like a climate conference rehearsal. And COP30, as many noted, did not deliver as hoped.
Our friend Quantum Bird captured the mood well:
“Lula, Brazil, and BRICS: Anatomy of a Betrayal – An update 01/04/2025: Was it worth it?”
Lula, Brazil, and BRICS: Anatomy of a Betrayal – An update 01/04/2025: Was it worth it?
Even Brian Mier—who doesn’t usually cover BRICS—weighed in:
BRICS Cleanup necessary in Aisle Brazil!
I left several notes after his piece because, like him, I struggled to find the BRICS in Brazil’s BRICS summit
https://sovereignista.com/2025/06/28/brian-mier-brics/
Then the chair passed to India. During Brazil’s tenure, India moved cautiously—perhaps seeking balance after Prime Minister Modi’s G7 visit. They started well, and I chose to roll with that hope.
BRICS India: We have a website, a logo, and a theme
https://sovereignista.com/2026/01/13/brics-india-we-have-a-website-a-logo-and-a-theme
First Meeting of BRICS Sherpas Under India’s Chair
First meeting of BRICS Sherpas: India’s Chairship, New Delhi
But then—to the concern of many of us—Modi visited the main genocidaire in our world for a love fest, and ‘kissed the wall’. Since that moment? The India BRICS website has offered mostly photos. No substantive updates on working groups. No visible Sherpa communications. It feels like an empty drum.
How long do we hold onto hope?
Truthfully, I’ve seen faltering BRICS meetings come alive the moment Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Wang Yi walk into the room. The energy shifts. The dialogue sharpens. It starts to feel like Kazan again. But as much as we value their steadiness, Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Wang Yi cannot push BRICS around in a baby carriage forever. We need serious, shared restructuring.
This short reflection on where we’ve been and where we stand is just the first step. Next, a follow-up with real, focused suggestions—practical ideas we can send to the Sherpas as part of our Call to Action
While that piece is still taking shape, here are two thoughts to sit with:
Know your Sherpa.
If we’re part of a BRICS country, we should know our BRICS Sherpa as well as we know our foreign minister. Maybe it’s time we had a voice in who represents us at that table?.
Revisit “non-interference.”
Yes, it’s a core principle. But too often, it’s used as a cop-out—a reason to stay silent when collective courage is needed. So far, BRICS has struggled to issue statements of real weight. Meanwhile, the SCO has spoken up. India hesitated to sign—citing Pakistan, China, complexity, words. But let’s be clear: neither Pakistan nor China has ‘kissed the wall’.
We hear Mr. Putin, Mr. Lavrov, and Russian voices regularly place BRICS alongside SCO, ASEAN, and other regional frameworks. The rest of us? Quieter.
The map exists. The manifesto is written. The potential is real. But potential needs practice. Hope needs hands.
In the meantime, we have Mr Lavrov and Mr Wang Yi
Lavrov to attend BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in India — Russian Foreign Ministry
Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that the event will provide a valuable platform for substantive discussions on current international issues and prospects for strengthening global governance
MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in a full-format BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on May 14-15, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing.
“On May 14-15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend a full-format meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi,” she confirmed.
Zakharova emphasized that the event, chaired by India, will provide a valuable platform for substantive discussions on current international issues and prospects for strengthening global governance, particularly regarding countries representing the global majority.
“Special attention will be given to enhancing strategic partnerships in preparation for the 18th BRICS summit, which is also scheduled to take place in New Delhi this September,” she added.
Zakharova noted that foreign ministers from BRICS partner states will participate in several sessions during the meeting.
She further mentioned that during Lavrov’s visit to New Delhi, a full-format bilateral program is also planned, including talks with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
“The discussions are expected to cover the full range of bilateral relations, including the schedule of upcoming contacts at the highest, high, and working levels. Separate attention will be paid to preparing for meetings of the intergovernmental Russian-Indian commission on trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation. The entire mutually beneficial agenda will also be reviewed,” Zakharova said.