Democratising the BRICS image through inclusive global agendas

The author contends that for BRICS to be perceived as a force for positive global change rather than just a new set of dominant powers, it must move beyond narrow self-interest. The paper proposes an inclusive agenda centered on four key challenges: rising inequality, the finite nature of the Anthropocene age (climate change and sustainable development), the rise of identity-based radicalism, and the tension between state sovereignty and global public goods. The author suggests that by leading on these issues, BRICS can build collective soft power and a more legitimate global compact.

• The BRICS grouping risks being perceived by other developing and low-income economies as merely "replacing one set of dominant powers with another" unless it embraces an inclusive developmental agenda.
• To address rising inequality, the author suggests BRICS should advocate for the elimination of illicit financial flows (IFFs) and support public country-by-country reporting for multinationals under the BEPS initiative. The Mbeki report estimated that IFFs from Africa amounted to approximately $50 billion annually.
• Regarding the 'Anthropocene age', the author argues BRICS must lead the transition to a lower-carbon future. While Russia is a major fossil fuel producer and South Africa has vast coal deposits, South Africa has recently added 503 MW to its grid via 15 solar plants, with a target of 3900MW.
• The author identifies a global rise in narratives of violence driven by 'them' and 'us' dynamics, citing examples such as ISIS in the Middle East, xenophobia in KwaZulu-Natal, and anti-immigration movements in Europe.
• There is a tension between the classical principle of sovereignty, which BRICS members strongly support to avoid Western dominance, and the need to provide global public goods and protect human rights through internationalist approaches like the 'responsibility to protect' (R2P) doctrine.
• The author suggests the BRICS academic community should pursue two paths: conducting research based on government requests and developing an independent research agenda to identify 'over-the-horizon issues'.

APA

Sidiropoulos, E. (2015). Democratising the BRICS image through inclusive global agendas. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-05-23-Sidiropoulos-7th-BRICS-Academic-Forum-Democratising-the-BRICS-image.pdf

Chicago

Sidiropoulos, Elizabeth. Democratising the BRICS image through inclusive global agendas. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-05-23-Sidiropoulos-7th-BRICS-Academic-Forum-Democratising-the-BRICS-image.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sidiropoulos |first1=Elizabeth |title=Democratising the BRICS image through inclusive global agendas |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=May 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-05-23-Sidiropoulos-7th-BRICS-Academic-Forum-Democratising-the-BRICS-image.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sidiropoulos2015democratising, author = {Sidiropoulos, Elizabeth}, title = {{Democratising the BRICS image through inclusive global agendas}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-05-23-Sidiropoulos-7th-BRICS-Academic-Forum-Democratising-the-BRICS-image.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }