BRICS and the Shifting Sands of Global Power: Can it Evolve into a Credible Counterweight to Western Dominance?

In geopolitics, symbolism and substance often march hand in hand. The recent BRICS summit in Brazil is a case in point. While Western media largely reduced the event to a footnote, dismissing it as just another gathering of emerging economies, the joint declaration issued by the BRICS bloc signals something far more profound: the slow but undeniable erosion of Western hegemony and the ascent of a multipolar world order.

- M A HOSSAIN

The BRICS declaration underscores what is increasingly self-evident: multipolarity is no longer an aspiration; it is a geopolitical fact. For decades, the world has operated under a system shaped by the neoliberal values of the so-called "Washington Consensus," a system that has too often served as a thin veil for neocolonial exploitation

served as a thin veil for neocolonial exploitation. Today, that consensus is fracturing, and BRICS-comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and now expanding to include new members like Indonesia-is emerging as one of the architects of this change.

Palestine: A Stand Long Overdue

One of the most striking features of the BRICS declaration was its unequivocal support for Palestinian statehood based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital. The bloc called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of hostages, and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid. It is a position that flies in the face of Western double standards.