Two weeks ago, the BRICS announced that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will join the “alliance” in 2024. Despite widespread enthusiasm in anti-Western circles, the soon-to-be 11-member economic bloc is a partnership of convenience. It is not a long-term alliance nor a strategic threat to the United States. The criteria to join the BRICS are vague. There is no charter and no fixed secretariat. Not even a functional website. This paper tiger also has a long list of structural challenges to overcome. Its ideological incoherence, characterized by issues ranging from internal conflicts of interest to divergent international perspectives, will pose complex challenges to the “bloc” for the foreseeable future.
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