Does participation in BRICS foster South-South cooperation? Brazil, South Africa, and the Global South

Abstract

With four out of the five BRICS members belonging to what has been referred to as the global South, it was believed that this would stimulate south to south cooperation. It was seen as a given. Although birthed in the Cold War by the Non-aligned Movement, South to South cooperation has experienced different dynamics in the post-Cold War era. In the current globalising world, countries face different challenges and define their interests differently. Thus, this article sets out to examine whether South Africa and Brazil’s membership of BRICS has fostered south to south cooperation. The study uses mixed methods with quantitative indicators like foreign direct investment (inward and outward) and trade volume (import and export) before and after the countries joined BRICS. Qualitative data were drawn from key informer interviews and the literature. The study found that Brazil and South Africa perceive their membership of BRICS differently. Although South Africa has invested heavily in African countries and fostered dialogue between BRICS and its regional states, Brazil has pursued a more internationalist approach in an attempt to win over allies in the Global North and, in the final analysis, has not strongly fostered South to South cooperation.

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