South Africa and the BRICs: A Crisis of Identity in Foreign Policy

The author questions the strategic value of South Africa joining the BRICs, noting that the group is an informal construct rather than a coherent political or economic bloc. The paper argues that BRICs membership does not inherently improve trade and investment opportunities, as bilateral barriers persist and the group includes economic competitors. Furthermore, the author suggests that joining the BRICs may undermine the IBSA Dialogue Forum and contradict South Africa's image as an assertive regional power.

• The BRICs are described as an informal construct based on economic projections rather than a formal political or economic bloc with coherent objectives, making the group's cohesion questionable due to internal conflicts such as competition between China and India and differing governance models between democracies and non-democracies.
• The argument that BRICs membership will enhance trade and investment for South Africa is contested, as the country already maintains bilateral relations and faces significant tariff barriers and restrictive regulations within BRICs markets, where it also competes in the automotive, steel, and textile sectors.
• South Africa's entry into the BRICs may create a conflict with its role in the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) Dialogue Forum, as the two entities are viewed as essentially competing, making it unsustainable for South Africa to maintain both in the long run.
• The author contends that seeking acceptance into the BRICs is an affront to national pride and contradicts South Africa's established identity as an assertive regional power and a leader in multilateralism and conflict resolution.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). South Africa and the BRICs: A Crisis of Identity in Foreign Policy. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-the-brics-a-crisis-of-identity-in-foreign-policy/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa and the BRICs: A Crisis of Identity in Foreign Policy. 2011. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-the-brics-a-crisis-of-identity-in-foreign-policy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa and the BRICs: A Crisis of Identity in Foreign Policy |date=11 January 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-the-brics-a-crisis-of-identity-in-foreign-policy/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa and the BRICs: A Crisis of Identity in Foreign Policy}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-and-the-brics-a-crisis-of-identity-in-foreign-policy/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }