Iran's Entry into the BRICS, Reflects the Precarious Posture of Western Powers
"We have not had evidence for years that Europe wants itself to be a trusted, reliable and fair partner for developing countries," said Reinhard Butikofer.
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The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Iran Masuk ke BRICS, Refleksi Gentingnya Postur Kekuatan Barat
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (center) attended a meeting as part of the BRICS Summit 2023 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 24, 2023.
From an economic standpoint, Iran deserves to be included in the BRICS, an economic bloc consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Iran's economy is larger than that of South Africa. However, in terms of BRICS' relative neutrality, amid the hotly contested geopolitics, Iran's entry carries a "critical" weight. The inclusion of Iran is a critical blow to Western geopolitical power.
"The joining of Iran will cause unease for the US and its allies," Bloomberg reported on August 24, 2023. Iran is one of six countries that joined BRICS alongside Argentina, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates on August 24.
The phrase "Iran is disturbing" is very logical. The world seems to have taken a breather after Iran joined. Anxiety is even shared by some BRICS members. "I can imagine some members worrying that the BRICS will have geopolitical tensions with Western powers," said Cobus van Staden, a researcher with the China Global South Project in The New York Times, August 24th.
Iran has great potential in the Middle East as a regional geopolitical power. Iran's domestic strategy, to which it is entitled, keeps it against the US. Resistance has made the US pressure Iran from decade to decade. This can also be seen from Iran's reaction after joining. "Iran's membership in the BRICS is a rejection of US unilateralism," said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, as quoted from the iranintl.com page. He added that Iran also supports the BRICS to free itself from the use of US dollars.
Read also: BRICS, The Losers Snowball?
The leaders of the BRICS group attended a three-day high-level conference in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 22, 2023. BRICS welcomed several new members, including Iran.
Hegemonic DNA theory
There is no explicit statement as strong as that from the five other countries who have joined. The action regarding this new membership by BRICS is led by Russia and China. Brazil, South Africa, and India are still vocal about their independence with respect to their relationship with the US.
Why did Russia and China include Iran? This is inseparable from the DNA hegemony hypothesis. Those geopolitical powers want to be hegemonic in their region and want geopolitical competitors to leave their region. A geopolitical expert from the University of Chicago, John Mearsheimer, stated this in his book entitled The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, published in 2001.
"Japan, Germany, and the Soviet Union are direct cases that strongly support my theory. They almost always look for opportunities to expand through conquest. When there is an opportunity, they usually take advantage of it immediately. Becoming strong does not reduce their offensive tendencies, but rather sharpens their offensive intentions. In fact, the three major powers want regional hegemony. Germany and Japan fought hard to achieve this goal. However, the United States and its allies prevented the Soviet Union from attempting to conquer Europe," as quoted on page 169 of the book."
Also read: BRICS Receives 6 New Members, Indonesia is Still Studying
This is similar to the actions of the United States through the Monroe Doctrine, which declared its power over the Western Hemisphere (the Americas). The theory also refutes the statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping that China does not have a DNA of hegemony. Currently, China and Russia are the second and third geopolitical powers in the world after the US. Theoretically, these two new powers also do not want any competitors near their territories, as they want to be free from competitive pressure.
Then why is Iran a matter of hegemonic interest for both Russia and China? Iran is located in the Middle East, a region that has been under Western influence for hundreds of years, starting with England and then dictated and dominated by the US. This fossil energy-rich region has historically been the subject of geopolitical power struggles. In this context, the entry of Saudi Arabia and the UAE into BRICS demonstrates a victory for Russia and China through BRICS. Please note that the forbidden words PBB, PKS, and PPP are not present in this article.
Iran is one of the main symbols of US grip in the Middle East, along with Europe and Asia. For years since 1980, Iran has been a primary target of US geopolitical interests, although it is certainly not without the interest of Israel that there should be no country around that can challenge it.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke during the leaders' dialogue session on the final day of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 24, 2023.
Revenge
Russia and China have similar behavior, wanting to push the US out of the Middle East through BRICS. This duo is taking advantage of Iran's resistance against the US. However, Russia and China's hegemonic interests in Iran are also related to geopolitical developments in recent decades.
Through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense pact, the US wanted to penetrate into Eastern Europe, located in Russia's backyard, during a meeting in 2008. This caused concern for Russia, especially for President Vladimir Putin who used to be a KGB figure who led the damming of the West's advances towards Russia. Years later, Russia's revenge was realized through President Putin's actions. This includes not only disturbing Ukraine, but now extending to a more distant region, Iran.
The same applies to Taiwan. Since the time of General Douglas MacArthur, Taiwan, nicknamed the "unsinkable fleet," has sought to be used by the US as a launching pad to contain China.
Also read: BRICS, Formerly an Eliminated Group, Now Ready to Replace G7
US support for Ukraine and Taiwan has become one of the seeds for the emergence of a Sino-Russian alliance. Now Russia and China seem to be saying that this alliance can not only push the US out of the immediate backyard (Ukraine and Taiwan), but also the furthest backyard from the alliance's territory (Iran).
The entry of Iran simultaneously pierces the US in the context of economic and political sanctions. Iran has been the longest and most intensely targeted by Western economic sanctions. Russia has also been bombarded with sanctions, as has China since the administration of former US President Donald Trump. Russia and China, through BRICS, want to show that sanctions will not be effective and that countries will escape sanctions, especially if they work in tandem.
President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, delivered a speech at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 24, 2023. BRICS announced the admission of new members, namely Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Colossal resistance
The entry of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Ethiopia, and Argentina simultaneously depicts a colossal resistance against the dominance of the old powers. This massive resistance also arises from the neglect of the West towards the African continent. Since their independence, these former European colonies have never felt the support of Europe.
Cheta Nwanze, researcher at SBM Intelligence (think-tank Nigeria), a geopolitical adviser focused on West Africa, said: “I think this is an indictment of our foreign policy or our lack thereof. We were very Pan-African in foreign policy. One thing that is now very clear is that most of Africa—probably except for Nigeria and Kenya—is moving away from West towards East. We have been in the West for a long time without getting any benefit from the West,” Nwanze told Al Jazeera, August 24.
Europe cannot refute this statement. "We have no evidence for years that Europe wants to be a reliable, dependable, and fair partner for developing countries," said Reinhard Butikofer, Foreign Policy Coordinator of the Green Party in the European Parliament.
The enthusiasm of many countries towards BRICS reflects not only China's attraction towards neutral globalization values, but also the failure of the West to build an inclusive international order.
Similarly, Argentina is a country that has long felt oppressed by the domination of the United States. Argentina represents a portrait of Latin America's resistance, having experienced a loss of growth in the 1980s decade. Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on May 18, 2023 rejected the pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an international organization dominated by the West, regarding the austerity program.
Criticism of Western behavior has been rife with the latest BRICS developments. This attracts developing countries to join. "The enthusiasm of many countries for the BRICS reflects not only China's appeal to the neutral value of globalization, but also the West's failure to build an inclusive international order," said Neil Thomas, researcher at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, quoted from page < a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/24/world/europe/brics-expansion-xi-lula.html">The New York Times.
It is said that the West, failed US domination into the spotlight. The Telegraph editorial, August 25, also blamed the policies of US President Joe Biden, especially the emphasis on Saudi Arabia, the impetus for the country's entry into the BIRCS.
Also read: BRICS Needs Saudi Arabia and Indonesia
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left to right) posed for a photo together during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 23, 2023.
So confident
However, despite the West's embrace of the world or the impression of the West's arbitrary actions, it has never made countries in the world dare to bring Iran onto the international stage. Even Russia and China have never been able to help Iran since the 1980s, except secretly.
Now Iran is on the international stage through BRICS. The background is the fading of the West. Russia and China share this perspective. The statements of President Xi and Putin demonstrate solidarity with the entry of Iran into BRICS. "This expansion of membership is historic. It shows the determination of BRICS countries to unite and cooperate with a broader range of developing countries," said Xi. This is a symbol of showing strength.
Putin acknowledges that the emergence of a new world order is still faced with strong opposition. However, Iran remains a member of the BRICS and Putin agrees with China on this.
Sanusha Naidu, senior fellow at the Institute for Global Dialogue, a South African think-tank that studies China, said, “Having Iran in the BRICS at once sends a very strong message to the G7, the North and Washington. .”
Their actions are similar to the statement, "You may have a problem with Iran, but we will accommodate it within BRICS." Another implicit statement, "Your problem (with Iran) is not our problem."
Naidu stated that South Africa, which has an important relationship with the US, may have to face the "impact" of Iran's entry into BRICS. However, Naidu said that South Africa now has the strategic strength to say "I have BRICS behind me now. I have a BRICS wall."
Also read: 40 Countries Interested in Joining BRICS
A journalist walks past the Nelson Mandela plaque at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It's been weak
Gerard Araud, former Ambassador of France to the US, wrote in The Telegraph that Europe itself has long since faded and since 1945 has only been behind the US. He wrote that through an article entitled ”Deluded Europe can’t see that it’s finished”. In essence, he concluded that Europe still feels that it is deciding, but that is no longer the case.
Former National Security Advisor for Donald Trump, John Bolton, is unconcerned with BRICS and its developments. This view is similar to Trump's. He even stated that BRICS wouldn't go anywhere supported by the argument that China is currently experiencing economic decline.
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to President Biden, stated, "The US does not view BRICS as a geopolitical rival to the US or anyone else." The US State Department also did not comment on questions regarding the US's opinion of the countries that are part of BRICS.
However, the view of other European experts is not the same. Mats Engstrom, a senior thinker from the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that the entry of new members into the BRICS clearly shows China's victory. Although China's economy may be fading, Engstrom continued, China successfully utilized the situation where the West has long been viewed as unaccommodating to the interests of many countries.
All of this is giving rise to the hypothesis that the world is currently undergoing a Western fading. The inclusion of Iran in BRICS is the latest strong symbol of it. (AFP/AP/REUTERS)
