In 2024, the informal multilateral group made up of representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – collectively known as BRICS – expanded its membership and its potential geopolitical impact. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates have joined, and Saudi Arabia may also join.
Interest in joining BRICS has grown
Around 40 countries have indicated an interest in joining BRICS at a time of a shifting multilateral landscape and increasing criticism of the United States’ role in the world.
Although these changes suggest that are United States cannot ignore this group of countries and their perspectives and priorities, the US has not examined the potential human rights impact of the rising alliance and what the US foreign policy approach should be.
This policy briefing therefore addresses why the United States should have a human rights strategy for engaging with BRICS and makes recommendations for advancing one.
The briefing:
- Analyzes new developments around BRICS, including the recent expansion of the group
- Explores the alternative discourse around human rights advanced by many of the BRICS countries but contrasts with that of the United States
- Provides an overview of US engagement with multilateral institutions
- Analyzes why other countries might be motivated to align with BRICS over other multilateral groups
- Examines why the group is expanding its influence now and what it might mean about and for US foreign policy.
While there is space for the United States to develop a human rights strategy for BRICS, the US must also urgently and meaningfully engage with criticisms of the existing international multilateral systems and act in a responsible way that promotes inclusivity and human rights in multilateralism.