Translated "Avante!" article by Luis Carapinha, Member of the International Department
The fifth BRICS Summit , which reunites the five “emergent powers”, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa took place a few days before Easter last, in South Africa. The Durban heads of state gathering, on the 26-27 March, took place at a complex time, in which dangers and world tension focus spread, having as a background the capitalism systemic crisis development and particularly, the descendant trajectory of the three vertex, which involve the “imperialist triad” ( USA, EU and Japan).
Under the theme, “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialization”, the Durban meeting closed a summit inaugural cycle, which took place in the five member states, begun in Russia, in 2009 ( when South Africa only joined the then BRIC in 2010, under China’s proposal). Its taking place in the African continent, had a transcendent significance, before the interventionist and re-colonization campaign, launched amid Africa, by the great NATO powers.
The great dominant mind diffusion centres are not able to hinder imperialism concern, facing the BRICS articulation and cooperation improvement. A Reuters dispatch talks about rhetoric’s non supported by substance. When during the New Deli summit in 2012,the five countries - which represent 40% of the world’s population and about a third of the world’s GDP , in terms of compared purchase power - decided to accelerate the process by means of the use of own assets in their trade and study the constitution of a common bank, and many considered this idea as a monetary violent shock signal. Regretfully, the Washington Post qualified the summit as the beginning of a new era.
In fact, the slow rhythm of the dollar alternative monetary agreements’ process, touches the world force correlation nerve. The disruptive potential being evident, for the current international order - anti-democratic, exploiter and neo-colonial - , performed by the BRICS’ countries articulation, besides considering all the diverse differences that distinguish them.
From the Durban outcome statement and action plan, and beyond the decision of a common development bank constitution, under an equitable basis (which is expected to be fulfilled in a near future) and the intention of creating a hundred thousand million dollar reserve fund for developing countries, the defence of international law and the UN Charter central role ought to be highlighted. The support to integration processes within Africa and the AU role and other regional African organizations, ought to catch one’s attention. Considering angular issues, which mark the international arena, as the Palestine, Syria, Iran and Mali cases - only mentioning some - the Summit’s statement contrasts the Washington, Paris, London or Berlin’s positions and practice.
This summit confirms the dynamic change of the BRICS acronym within an influent international political and economic organization. Which does not spare the need an emancipation and social progress process objective, and a confrontation element, at the right moment, with the constraints of an unjust and anachronical order.
China plays a central role, undoubtly. It is enough to recall its relations with Africa ( the 1st trade partner), Brazil, Latin America and Russia, the first country to receive president Xi Jinping. And therefore, the BRICS dismantlement is inscribed as one of the USA’s strategic priorities for the coming years.