COOPERATION 103
cooperation [ koh-op-uh–rey-shuhn ]
an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit
mutually beneficial interaction among organisms [nations] living in a limited area [planet Earth]
Few Americans have heard of BRICS. Even though this international organization of nations will soon represent the Global Majority, western media ignores, or is oblivious to, what is becoming a monumental shift of human perspectives toward universal world cooperation.
BRICS is the acronym for the organization’s founding members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. These nations had come together seeking mutually beneficial opportunities in cultural, societal, and economic relations. Perhaps because it simply makes sense to ever more of the world’s people to just get along with one another, several other nations are now seeking membership in the BRICS community.
Current members of BRICS and their populations are: Brazil – 216.4 million, Russia – 144.4 million, India – 1.428 billion, China – 1.425 billion, South Africa – 62 million, Ethiopia – 126.5 million, Egypt – 112.7 million, Iran – 89.2 million, United Arab Emirates – 10 million, Saudi Arabia – 32.2 million.
Current candidates for admission to BRICS are: Pakistan – 240.5 million, Nigeria – 223.8 million, Bangladesh – 173 million, Vietnam – 98.9 million, Thailand – 71.8 million.
Nations which have expressed an interest in joining BRICS are: Indonesia – 277.5 million, Mexico – 128.5 million, Philippines – 117.3 million, Democratic Republic of Congo – 102.3 million, Turkey – 85.4 million.
This does not include several other nations of the global south or Asia that have expressed an interest in BRICS, but as it stands it represents over 5 billion people, or 63% of the world’s population.
The ongoing expansion of BRICS is not without problems of course. Age-old tensions between India and China, and currently between Brazil and Venezuela, are serious issues which must be addressed.
What is obvious in BRICS membership is that the United States and the countries of western Europe are not included. Indeed, it is the policies of the United States and western Europe that were the driving force in the formation of BRICS. The rest of the world is tired of America’s endless wars, coups, and hegemonic military expansionism. The rest of the world is tired of America’s endless economic sanctions made possible by the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency.
The world’s people want peace and harmony. They do not want a U.S. hegemon, representing only 4.5% of the global population, interfering in their governments or staging coups to overthrow elected officials not subservient to U.S. demands (Think Venezuela with the world’s largest oil reserves.). They do not want the U.S. stealing their resources (Think Venezuela with the world’s largest oil reserves. Think Russia during the Clinton Administration when that nation’s vast resources and people were plundered by America following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.).
The world’s people want peace and harmony. They do not want the U.S. dollar and the U.S. controlled World Bank and International Monetary Fund being used as weapons against them, destroying their free trade and keeping them in endless debt.
The world’s people want peace and harmony. They want their cultures, their societies, their way of life, left to develop and evolve as they see fit.
The world’s people want cooperation – not domination.
Founded in 2009, the annual BRICS summit location has rotated among its member nations. This year the summit will be held in Kazan, Russia from October 22 to 24. Because of the size and complexity of BRICS it is not practical to cover the goals and activities in an article. Perhaps in a nutshell, BRICS simply seeks win/win cooperation among nations. A short summation of BRICS strategies from TV BRICS, are:
– striving for inclusive economic growth to eradicate poverty, tackle unemployment and promote social inclusion (the BRICS core objective)
– consolidating efforts to ensure a higher quality of growth by promoting innovative economic development based on advanced technology and skills development
– striving for further engagement and cooperation with countries that are not members of the BRICS
– the development of settlements in national currencies to boost economic growth
Please take a few minutes to watch the following two short videos to learn more. BRICS represents cooperative hope for the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1c10UhnGKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkCrb1T227M
To learn more:
https://tvbrics.com/en/news/what-is-brics-and-what-are-the-goals-of-this-alliance/ brics
https://www.brics-russia2024.ru/en/
Cooperation 104 will continue.