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Eastern Express 24.06

Led by the desire to have more influence in the international arena, many countries have decided over the past few decades to create organisations that represent their common interests. Some, like the European Union, focus on as much political, economic and social integration as possible. Others choose to form looser associations that focus on specific goals. One such informal alliance is BRICS. What is it and what tasks does it have? What countries make up the union?

At the beginning of the 21st century, the US investment bank Goldman Sachs presented its economic forecasts for the coming decades, which indicated that several more countries would achieve the status of world powers. In its original use, the term BRIC meant a group of four countries that, according to experts, will become global powers by the middle of the 21st century and join the world’s top countries in terms of economic development. Nowadays, the countries making up the acronym are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and finally South Africa.

China

China is the world’s most populous country and the second-largest economy in the world after the United States. In the unanimous opinion of experts, in the early 2030s, the superpowers will swap places. The Asian powerhouse has built its position primarily on the back of tremendous opportunities for technology development and foreign investment over the past few decades. The true image of the country may be distorted by government propaganda, as China remains a socialist republic.

Russia

Russia is the largest country in the world by land mass and plays a leading political and economic role on the international stage. It is a leading producer of oil, natural gas, coal, and timber – a natural resource powerhouse. A big problem in Russia is social inequality. On the one hand, the 22 richest people in the country have wealth equivalent to 21.6 percent of Russia’s GDP. On the other hand, as many as 20 million inhabitants (almost 14 percent of the population) live in poverty. And of course, Russia’s belligerent attitude is well known.

India

India is the second-most populous country in the world. Until recently it was considered a so-called third-world country, but now it belongs to the group of developing countries. It is rich in natural resources – iron ore, coal, oil, manganese, copper and titanium. Despite great efforts made in recent years in the context of getting people out of extreme poverty, it is still the country’s biggest social problem and affects over 20 percent of the population.

Apart from their status as developing countries, the countries that make up the BRICS are opposed to each other, both historically and culturally. Dialogue at the highest level of government, however, shows that in the name of common interests it is possible to conduct coherent policies in the international arena.

The programme’s guest was Dr Tomasz Morozowski, an analyst from the Western Institute.

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