Tag: BRICS

Iran and the Implications

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment
Flag of Iran

We are only entering the third month of 2026, and so far this year has not been for the faint of heart. On February 28, 2026, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by joint strikes from Israel and the United States on Iran. President Donald Trump announced the death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The Iranian State media reported that the 86-year-old was killed in an airstrike targeting his compound in downtown Tehran. US President Donald Trump has stated that the strikes on Iran could last for about a month, saying “It’s always been a four-week process… as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks – or less”. He also commented on the deaths of US service personnel, calling them “great people” and noting that such incidents are expected and could happen again.

Libya, the Prey of the West
Libya, the Prey of the West

It has been almost 25 years since American General Wesley Clark, following 9/11 attacks, told us that the United States were planning to attack 7 countries in 5 years: Irak, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran. As you can see from the list, Iran is the only country still standing in its entirety. We now know, in retrospective, that all these attacks had nothing to do with terrorism, but everything to do with banking and economics. Are the strikes on Iran a hit on the BRICS? What are the implications for the world? Brothers and sisters, we are in the era of the Far West, anybody could be next! I just wonder why the regimes that serve the West and oppress their people are never attacked? Suddenly, in those countries, human rights change meaning. As said before, most countries should get out of the UN, as it is an organization that does not serve the world but only the few.

Below are excerpts from the Wire

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The B in BRICS, Brazil, on February 28 itself, condemned US-Israel attacks on Iranian targets and expressed grave concern over the military action. “The attacks occurred amid a negotiation process between the parties, which is the only viable path to peace, a position traditionally defended by Brazil in the region,” the Brazil government said in a statement.

… Russia – the R – said on the same day, “the US & Israel have embarked on a perilous course, carried out airstrikes on the territory of Iran It’s a deliberate, premeditated, & unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign & independent UN member state.” It said, it was “particularly reprehensible that these strikes are once again being conducted under the cover of the renewed negotiation process.”

C – China, became the one member-state, in a second statement, to specifically condemn the murder of the Supreme leader of Iran, Ayotollah Khamenei. It called it “a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security. It tramples on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms in international relations. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it. We urge for an immediate stop to the military operations, no further escalation of the tense situation and joint effort to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East and the world at large.”

S – South Africa said, in a statement issued by the presidency of South Africa, that the “developments pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security, with far-reaching humanitarian, diplomatic and economic consequences.”

… The BRICS is a group formed by 11 countries: Brasil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. Iran was among six new members admitted in 2024-25.

The current BRICS chair is India, … On March 1, India condemned Iran’s missile strikes on the United Arab Emirates. Then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging an early cessation of hostilities. New Delhi is yet to comment on the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes. Modi has notably not spoken to Iran’s leadership. Modi also happened to have visited Israel just before the strikes, which had been planned “months in advance.”

BRICS 2024 – Key Takeaways for Africa

On By Dr. Y.In Great MomentsLeave a comment
BRICS 2024 Summit (Source: LatestNewsandUpdates.com)

Last week, Vladimir Putin of Russia hosted the 16th edition of the annual BRICS summit which took place from October 22-24 in the city of Kazan in Russia. This was the largest gathering of world leaders in Russia in decades. The aim of the alliance is to foster a more equitable and inclusive global order, challenging the economic and political monopoly of the West.

BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group started in 2006, and Brazil, Russia, India and China convened for the first BRIC summit in 2009. South Africa joined a year later, in 2010.

BRICS (Source: RussiasPivotToAsia.com)

In 2023, BRICS extended invitations to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after these countries applied for membership. Saudi Arabia has yet to formally join, but the others have.

Presidents of many countries in the world were present at the meeting, and even the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was in attendance. BRICS’ evolution from an economic concept to a geopolitical force has been remarkable. The expanded members now collectively represent 44.3 % of the world’s population, 29.5 % of the land mass, and 30.8 % of the global gross domestic product (GDP) (49.7 % of global GDP in purchasing power parity, or PPP, terms).

BRICS flags

We will highlight below the key takeaways of the BRICS summit for Africa. There were a lot of takeaways in general, but our focus will be on Africa. Our wish is that African representatives could, when attending these summits, join as ‘ONE’ and not several. At the recent China-Africa meeting which took place in September 4 – 6, 2024, some African countries asked for more debt, like Kenya, while others asked for balanced trade, technology transfer, investment in manufacturing to boost job creation, like South Africa. This will create imbalanced partnerships which will be a disadvantage for neighboring African countries and then affect Africa as a whole later (this will be a subject for another day).

Key Takeaways for Africa

  • As pointed out above, Egypt and Ethiopia joined as new BRICS members, while Nigeria and Algeria participated as partner countries.
  • De-dollarization: this is a global shift which has occurred mildly before, but more significantly since the start of the Ukraine conflict which saw Europe and the US impose sanctions on Russia in hope of asphyxiating Russia, but which instead forced Russia to deal in local currencies and other leaders such as China and India to do likewise. This shift is more important for African countries, particularly the ones which are still part of the FCFA (that slave currency) block.
  • Energy and Technology partnerships between Russia, China and African countries to enhance energy projects and digital infrastructure.
  • Economic collaboration with the New Development Bank (NDB) which aims to fund infrastructure projects across Africa, offering an alternative to the shark Western financial institutions.
  • Balanced diplomacy: for too long, Africans have had only one way of thinking with the Western world. Now with the BRICS, Africans hope for a more balanced relationships to benefit and ensure sustainable development for our nations.