Deconstructing the Empire: BRICS and the Rise of a Multipolar World

Chanif Ainun Naim, Fitriatul Hasanah
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25077/ajis.13.1.80-90.2024

Abstract

This study examines the rise of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and its impact on the global political economy through Hardt and Negri’s concept of “Empire.” BRICS has challenged Western dominance by leveraging economic globalization to build influential networks, reflecting trends of deterritorialization and decentralization. Key strategies include China’s push for internet sovereignty and Russia’s market realignment under Western sanctions. The recent expansion of BRICS to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE underscores its growing influence in reshaping global governance. However, the study also identifies elements of “Empire” within BRICS, such as the use of economic leverage and biopower to exert control. These findings reveal a complex interplay between power and resistance, where BRICS, while challenging Western hegemony, also replicates some control mechanisms. This research contributes to the theoretical discourse on globalization and provides practical insights into the evolving multipolar world order.

Full Text:

PDF

References

Adjinacou, L. J. (2024, March 5). The BRICS Launch an Innovative Payment System Based on Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies [Online News]. Cointribune. https://www.cointribune.com/en/the-brics-launch-an-innovative-payment-system-based-on-blockchain-and-cryptocurrencies/

Alshareef, S. (2024). Beyond the ‘debt-trap strategy’ narrative: China’s rise and the expansion of policy autonomy of the Global South. Area Development and Policy, 9(2), 169–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/23792949.2023.2236185

Beckman, F. (2018). Control Culture: Foucault and Deleuze after Discipline. Edinburgh University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv7n08g6

Bradford, A. (2023). The Battle for Technological Supremacy: The US–China Tech War. In A. Bradford (Ed.), Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology (p. 0). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197649268.003.0006

Brautigam, D. (2020). A critical look at Chinese ‘debt-trap diplomacy’: The rise of a meme. Area Development and Policy, 5(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/23792949.2019.1689828

BRICS enlargement—A “non-event” or a stage victory against the West? (2024, March 27). [Foundation Official Website]. Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. https://www.freiheit.org/latin-america/brics-enlargement-non-event-or-stage-victory-against-west

Busch. (2019, November 16). BRICS — Still an alternative power bloc? – DW – 11/16/2019. Dw.Com. https://www.dw.com/en/brics-still-an-alternative-power-bloc/a-51279559

Chernobrov, D., & Briant, E. L. (2022). Competing propagandas: How the United States and Russia represent mutual propaganda activities. Politics, 42(3), 393–409. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263395720966171

Condon, B. (2023, May 18). China’s loans pushing world’s poorest countries to brink of collapse. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/china-debt-banking-loans-financial-developing-countries-collapse-8df6f9fac3e1e758d0e6d8d5dfbd3ed6

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE.

Çubukçu, A. (2005). [Review of Review of Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire, by M. Hardt & A. Negri]. The Arab Studies Journal, 13/14(2/1), 168–173. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27933949

Dini, G. (2023, August 22). BRICS entails opportunities, risks for Indonesia—Tue, August 22, 2023. The Jakarta Post. https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2023/08/22/benefits-of-joining-brics-could-come-at-political-cost-for-ri-experts.html

Fillion, R. (2005). Moving beyond Biopower: Hardt and Negri’s Post-Foucauldian Speculative Philosophy of History. History and Theory, 44(4), 47–72. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2303.2005.00342.x

Hardt, M. (1999). Affective Labor. Boundary 2, 26(2), 89–100. http://www.jstor.org/stable/303793

Hardt, M., & Negri, A. (2000). Empire. Harvard University Press.

Hardt, M., & Negri, A. (2005). Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire. Hamish Hamilton.

Hardt, M., & Negri, A. (2009). Commonwealth. Harvard University Press.

Henry, L. A., & McIntosh, L. S. (2021). Bringing Global Governance Home: NGO Mediation in the BRICS States. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197530238.001.0001

Hiariej, E. (2012). Globalisasi Budaya: Homogenitas Atau Hibridasi? In Globalisasi, Kapitalisme dan Perlawanan. Institute of International Studies.

Kc, K., & Chand, H. P. (2024). The Reality and Myth of the BRI’s “Debt Trap”: Evidence from Nepal. In N. Peng & M. Y. Cheng (Eds.), The Reality and Myth of BRI’s Debt Trap: Evidences from Asia and Africa (pp. 185–202). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1056-0_11

Laïdi, Z. (2012). BRICS: Sovereignty power and weakness. International Politics, 49(5), 614–632. https://doi.org/10.1057/ip.2012.17

Meena, K. (2013). BRICS: An explanation in critical geography. Contexto Internacional, 35, 565–593. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-85292013000200009

Mueller, M. L., & Farhat, K. (2022). Regulation of platform market access by the United States and China: Neo-mercantilism in digital services. Policy & Internet, 14(2), 348–367. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.305

Paradis-Gagné, E., & Holmes, D. (2022). Gilles Deleuze’s societies of control: Implications for mental health nursing and coercive community care. Nursing Philosophy, 23(2), e12375. https://doi.org/10.1111/nup.12375

Polatin-Reuben, D., & Wright, J. (2014). An Internet with {BRICS} Characteristics: Data Sovereignty and the Balkanisation of the Internet. 4th USENIX Workshop on Free and Open Communications on the Internet. 4th USENIX Workshop on Free and Open Communications on the Internet (FOCI 14), Oxford. https://www.usenix.org/conference/foci14/workshop-program/presentation/polatin-reuben

Prange. (2023, April 10). A new world order? BRICS nations offer alternative to West – DW – 04/10/2023. Dw.Com. https://www.dw.com/en/a-new-world-order-brics-nations-offer-alternative-to-west/a-65124269

Ritzer, G. (2011). Sociological Theory (8th Edition). McGraw-Hill Companies.

Sakwa, R. (2019). BRICS and Sovereign Internationalism. Strategic Analysis, 43(6), 456–468. https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2019.1669899

Saptohutomo, A. P. (2024, January 4). Indonesia Masih Pikir-pikir Buat Gabung BRICS. KOMPAS.com. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/01/04/23024881/indonesia-masih-pikir-pikir-buat-gabung-brics

Sarup, M. (1993). An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism. University of Georgia Press.

The Economic Times. (2023, April 19). What is Brics? Definition of Brics, Brics Meaning. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/brics

Thussu, D. K. (2020). BRICS de-Americanizing the Internet? In BRICS Media: Reshaping the Global Communication Order? (1st ed., p. 22). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429468759

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.