The Global Disorder Research Network has published a working paper, “Global Reordering and the Emergence of BRICS Plus,” authored by Leonardo Ramos and Javier Vadell.

In their paper Ramos and Vadell explore how BRICS has evolved in a period of systemic turbulence marked by the erosion of US-led hegemony, the fragmentation of neoliberal multilateralism, and the emergence of multipolar and minilateral forms of global governance. They trace how the group, originally formed in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis as a coalition of emerging middle powers, has responded to successive global disruptions including the crisis of global capitalism, intensifying US–China rivalry, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine.

The authors outline five overlapping phases in the evolution of BRICS, culminating in what they call a “BRICS reset.” They highlight how internal contradictions between China and India, or between national and regional ambitions coexist with shared critiques of unilateralism and demands for a more inclusive multilateralism. BRICS Plus, they suggest, reflects these tensions while also accelerating the bloc’s relevance in a shifting world order.

You can download the paper from this link.