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Posted on 09/16/2026 6:12:43 AM PDT by MtnClimber
The coalition of second-tier and second-rate countries calling themselves the BRICS (an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) has just wound up its annual “summit,” this year held in New Delhi, India.
In the twenty years since the BRICS coalition’s founding, its membership has expanded beyond just the countries forming the acronym, with additional attendees at this year’s event including the likes of Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Of those new members, only Indonesia really has a claim for even second-rate status. Saudi Arabia and UAE are wealthy, but owe the wealth almost entirely to the good luck of oil discoveries; and the remaining three of Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran are more like fifth-rate.
Most heads of state actually attended, including Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, although Lula da Silva of Brazil skipped the conference, purportedly to participate in campaigning in Brazil’s upcoming elections.
This BRICS summit understandably generated almost no news that I have seen here in the U.S. However, one thing that did catch my eye was an opening address given on September 12 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. The conference was being held in India, and India was serving as this year’s conference chair, so this was kind of Modi’s moment. Following the motto “Why go small?”, Modi used the occasion to call for a “transformation of global governance,” and in particular to demand that the so-called “Global South” be given a greater voice in “global decision-making” (whatever that may mean).
The Indian government website ddnews has a report on Modi’s address. Here are some highlights:
PM Modi called for a fundamental transformation of the existing international system to give the Global South a stronger and more meaningful voice in global decision-making. He said BRICS must not limit itself to strengthening cooperation among its members but should also contribute to reshaping global institutions so that representation better reflects present-day realities. “The Global South is today in the front row of global crises, but in the back row of decision-making. We must transform this “pyramid of privilege” into a “platform of partnership”, where every country has a voice, every member has a stake, and the advancement of humanity remains at the heart of every endeavour,” PM Modi said.
I particularly like the description of the current global system as a “pyramid of privilege.”
But here’s the problem, Narendra: The BRICS, India included, are second-tier and second-rate countries (at best) for a reason. All of them engage, to a greater or lesser degree, in counter-productive and self-destructive public policies that have the effect of keeping their economies well below their potential. Clout on the world stage is very much a function of economic performance. That means that countries that, through ignorance or incompetence, degrade their own economic performance, inevitably fall behind in world competition.
And thus we have the UN, the very epitome of a system of “global governance” designed to give the Global South the majority in world decision-making. In the General Assembly, every country gets one vote. Therefore the “Global South” can always vote for and pass whatever resolution it wants. But nobody who counts pays any attention. All the “Global South” ever wants anyway is handouts from the much smaller number of more successful countries.
So why don’t the countries of the “Global South” engage in the free-market economic policies that would lead to economic success and thus to greater clout on the world stage? Because if a country protects private property, including the property of people without connections to the powers that be, and allows relatively free exchange of property interests, then the next thing you know you get a collection of successful businesses and wealthy businesspeople. And then those people think that they should get to support alternative leaders who might be less corrupt and who might adopt better policies. All of which would then threaten the power and wealth of the reigning dictators, strongmen, and/or bureaucrats. No how, no way. The powers that be in the second-rate (and third and fourth and fifth-rate) countries much prefer maintaining their status as the permanent and unchallengeable elites in poor countries, while demanding handouts from the West, all of which will be taken for the benefit of the elites and never improve the situation of the poor.
To add some context for this post, I thought it might be interesting to collect some data as to how various countries of the world have fared economically relative to each other since the fall of the Soviet Union back in 1991. Start with the United States. The conventional wisdom during these past several decades has been that the U.S. will inevitably see its share of world production decline over time as the developing world gradually joins and participates in the world economy. Therefore, you may be interested to learn that, according to World Bank data, the share of the U.S. in global GDP in 1990 was 26%, and in 2026 is estimated to be 26%.
A site called theglobaleconomy.com collects huge amounts of economic data on the countries of the world, including relative percentages of global GDP by year going back to 1990 (and in many cases even before that). Here are their data for some of the BRICS:
- Brazil: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 1.69%; in 2025: 1.96%.
- Russia: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 2.27%; in 2025: 2.2%
- India: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 1.41%; in 2025: 3.4%
- China: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 1.59%; in 2025: 16.75%. This is the one BRICS country to make substantial gains in this 35-year period. However, note that according to theglobaleconomy.com, China’s share of world GDP reached a peak of 18.62% in 2021, and has declined substantially since. Also note that at 16.75% of world GDP and with four times the population of the U.S., China’s per capita GDP is only about 16% that of the U.S.
- South Africa: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 0.55%; in 2025: 0.37% (a substantial decline).
- Indonesia: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 0.47%; in 2025: 1.24% (Note that the population of Indonesia at about 290 million is very close to that of the U.S.)
- Egypt: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 0.19%; in 2025: 0.31%
- Ethiopia: Percent of global GDP in 1990: 0.05%; in 2025: 0.11%. This for a country with a population of 139 million people, about 40% of U.S. population!
I leave out Iran and the Gulf Petro-states because their GDP figures mostly just represent fluctuations in the price of oil.
My comments: China is the one country that seemed to have figured out how to make big gains on U.S. economic dominance; but in the most recent years, under the increasingly tight control of Xi, it has begun to move in reverse. India has begun to move up some, and has a big opportunity for future gains if it can resist the temptation to tighten its regulations and impede business growth. The rest of these countries are huge lost opportunities. Russia under Putin has stagnated and continues to be dragged down by the failed Ukraine adventure. South Africa is moving rapidly backwards as its racial spoils regime takes increasing control.
So, Mr. Modi, you can complain all you want, but you will have a bigger role to play on the world stage when you decide to behave like a grown up country.
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Manhattan Contrarian ping
Has Canada’s Carney joined BRICS yet ? LOL
BRICS is a joke composed of turd world countries. India is the country equivalent of San Fran Crapo. Crap everywhere.
“China’s per capita GDP is only about 16% that of the U.S.”
********
“The average apartment size in China fluctuates depending on location and economic factors, but generally ranges between 60 to 90 square meters (645 to 968 square feet).”
https://www.mikegravel.org/what-is-the-average-apartment-size-in-china/
United States
760 cars per 1,000 people (2022)
Italy
740 cars per 1,000 people (2022)
Japan 570 2022
United Kingdom 620 2022
Russia 410 2022
Argentina 385 2022
China 345 2022
https://statranker.org/mobility/top-100-countries-by-passenger-car-ownership-per-1000-people-2025/
“China’s per capita GDP is only about 16% that of the U.S.”
********
“The average apartment size in China fluctuates depending on location and economic factors, but generally ranges between 60 to 90 square meters (645 to 968 square feet).”
https://www.mikegravel.org/what-is-the-average-apartment-size-in-china/
United States
760 cars per 1,000 people (2022)
Italy
740 cars per 1,000 people (2022)
Japan 570 2022
United Kingdom 620 2022
Russia 410 2022
Argentina 385 2022
China 345 2022
https://statranker.org/mobility/top-100-countries-by-passenger-car-ownership-per-1000-people-2025/
BRICS is gradually shifting the global geopolitical climate by acting as a platform for strategic autonomy and a multipolar world order.......though internal divisions limit its ability to completely upend the existing Western-led system.
Challenging Western Dominance, the bloc advocates for major reforms to traditional institutions like the United Nations Security Council, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
Members promote trade using local currencies and stronger cross-border payment networks to bypass Western-centric financial control.
As highlighted at the BRICS New Delhi Summit, the group strongly opposes unilateral economic sanctions, tariffs, and protectionist barriers that disrupt global supply chains.
As analyzed by Reuters, countries like Russia and China view BRICS as a direct geopolitical counterweight to the West, whereas members like India and Brazil prefer a focus on economic cooperation and institutional reform.
BRICS Competing Regional Interests: Deep-seated rivalries and opposing diplomatic alignments among members—such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—make consensus difficult, even though recent summits have successfully bridged some of these gaps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4uj7S1YB5s&t=41s
the countries that cannot make their economies work are joining together... oh noes.
The modern economy is mainly services and feet, hands and brains can move at about the same speed in many countries.
Fairly simple cars got around the USA about as fast in the 1960s as the latest models can nowadays. The main thing is that vehicles have become so complicated that production of components often gets done in lower wage countries.
Paying $90,000 for a larger pickup truck than the $4,000 one bought in 1975 doesn’t get you 20 times or even twice the capacity.
1853 Tokyo Bay
The Japanese will be great customers for the manufactured stuff the USA can produce. They need to be made to see reason.
This needs to be sanctioned in the strongest ways. Not one US dime should go to any BRICS country, friend or not. Nip this in the bud.
“The BRICS Coalition Meets In India”
Ruh, Roh! ... the US dollar is DOOMED, DOOMED I say! ...
[just thought i’d try to beat the anti-USA trolls at FR] ...
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