Who will lead the affairs of the world in the 21st century?
The West and especially the United States of America, which has occupied a dominant position since the end of World War II, or the countries of the South, and China and India at the top of them? At the end of August, the BRICS summit (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) decided to admit six new members, showing the desire of emerging countries to try to reorganize the international system. A big step in rebalancing the world requires taking other steps.
The end of the summer saw an unusual diplomatic upheaval. Especially since the host countries of these great movements, South Africa and India, do not belong to the Western world. Indeed, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit had just concluded in Johannesburg on August 24, when the five countries attended the slightly more westernized G20 summit in New Delhi on September 10.
The coincidental coincidence of these two summits made the difference between them even more apparent, which is a small-scale picture of a changing world.
Before the start of the first summit, it was said that BRICS was dying or being paralyzed due to the differences between India and China. But by accepting six new members, BRICS showed its vitality. Some commentators speak of a “historical revolution”, while others see it as nothing more than a simple “propaganda show”. This summit does not deserve this burst of enthusiasm nor this excessive narrow-mindedness. One thing is clear: BRICS is attracting more than twenty new countries waiting to join it quickly.
On the other hand, the G20 summit should be a sign of the West’s return to the international scene, which is increasingly questioned by the countries of the South. But the gathering ended with rich countries failing to impose their vision, even withdrawing from last year’s Bali summit that had condemned “Russian aggression”. The Financial Times notes that the final statement refers only to the “war in Ukraine,” a formula that Kiev’s supporters, such as the United States and its allies, have already rejected as assuming equal responsibility for Russia and Ukraine. (…) a blow to Western countries that have spent the last year convincing developing countries to condemn Moscow and support Ukraine”. The “South” condemns the war, but does not adhere to the Western narrative.
In this G20 meeting, the African Union joined the group (at the same level as the European Union), which can be interpreted as an opening. However, this is unlikely to change the balance of power. In order to forget the failure of the New Delhi meeting, the US presidency and its supporting media made Mr. Joseph Biden’s proposal, which was accepted by everyone, to create a “corridor” to connect India and Europe through the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. , Jordan and Israel highlighted that it should be based on a railway line, a high-speed submarine cable and a hydrogen gas pipeline. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said about it: “More than a simple railway or a cable, it is a green and digital bridge connecting continents and civilizations”.
Idea Global Media Broadcasting Group,
Cyrus Kongrlu
Le Monde Diplomatic
