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Letters | The West need not fear Brics, expanded or not
- Readers discuss the enlargement of the bloc, crime in South Korea, a Hong Kong success story, and the importance of neighbourliness
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It may seem like a long time ago that the Clinton administration proclaimed “engagement and enlargement” to be the next big idea for the post-Cold War era. But engaging and enlarging is exactly what is happening now before our eyes.
The circumstances of Brics’ enlargement with six new invited members – the charge for expansion was led by prominent international adversaries of the West – have prompted many observers to characterise the event as a defeat for the West. That remains to be seen.
The idea that the expanding association, which currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will outcompete the Group of 7 and the West, or what is nowadays called the Global North, with a common currency, greater levels of trade and investment, and even a political identity, all seems, at present, to be unlikely. Until now, Brics’ main achievement has been a development bank.
But scoring Brics’ achievements in this way misses the point. The bloc’s principal value and significance will be to its own members rather than to the existential challenge it may or may not pose to the West and its institutions.
It is important to remember that blocs created to deal with current real problems are likely to be more stable and successful than those designed to arouse rivalry. The European Coal and Steel Community, forerunner of the European Union, is a good example.
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