First BRICS Expansion In Over A Decade As Gulf Oil Powers Join

In a move signaling a growing anti-Western sentiment, BRICS is expanding its members to include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran by 2024. This marks the bloc’s first growth in over a decade and now encompasses three major oil producers. Established in 2009, BRICS nations account for 40% of the global population and over a quarter of the world’s GDP. Despite internal disparities, BRICS’s collective GDP surpassed the G7 in 2020. While the G7 has denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and imposed sanctions, no BRICS member has criticized Russia’s actions or supported these sanctions.