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BRICS are only a thing in the mind of the Ivory Tower set. Brazil is barely a country, has a declining QOL and is remarkably unstable. Lovely people, culture,

BRICS are only a thing in the mind of the Ivory Tower set. Brazil is barely a country, has a declining QOL and is remarkably unstable. Lovely people, culture, beaches - but they're not even the best off LatAm country (that's Colombia, Chile, or Argentina) Russia is a joke and an international pariah South Africa is about to split in half (or not? who knows!) and is declining into a race-centered downward spiral. Again, horrible to see bad things happen to a lovely group of people, but ESKOM is emblematic of the countries problems. India and China despise each other and are becoming more, not less hostile. India will soon be larger than China (may be today) and is betting the Chinese Miracle is ending. China has pretty openly racist views about India and doesn't treat them like equals in any way shape or form.

mise_en_place 4y ago
Not to mention all of them are becoming increasingly authoritarian. It’s an alternative for sure. Not sure it’s desirable or preferable.
- testHNac 4y ago
  Some reading to do about countries becoming authoritarian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/19/america-biden-trump-authoritarinism https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/19/americ... https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/psychological-dimensions-left-wing-authoritarianism/620185/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/psychologi... https://www.wired.com/story/us-authoritarian-movement-future/ https://www.wired.com/story/us-authoritarian-movement-future... https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/opinion/democracy-america-authoritarianism-midterms.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/opinion/democracy-america... https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/09/23/trump-america-authoritarianism-420681 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/09/23/trump-amer... Pretty sure American love for Freedom of Speech with push this comment into the abyss.
elzbardico 4y ago
GDP (PPP) Ranking according to the IMF in USD Trillions 1. China | 30.07 2. USA | 25.03 3. India | 11.66 4. Japan | 6.10 5. Germany | 5.31 6. Russia | 4.65 7. Indonesia | 4.02 8. Brazil | 3.78 Considering that China is the premier industrial powerhouse of the world, and Russia is probably the country with the vastest reserves of natural reserves in the world, with a highly educated population, and that probably the BRICS will be soon joined by the oil behemoths of Saudi Arabia and Iran, things don't look to me as straightforward as they look to you.
- vardump 4y ago
  China is going to throw Russia under the bus at the first opportunity. Russians are foolish to think that China will be their ally. China just needs Russia's resources for now.
- seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  PPP is a bit of a lie. Plenty of things in china, like cars and even housing, are more expensive than they are in America (you get cheap by a reduction in features/capabilities or square footage).
testHNac 4y ago
>Russia is a joke and an international pariah I guess the definition of "international" here is NATO. BRICS have a population of 3.24 Billion. B - Billion. NATO has a population of about 950 Million. M - Million. BRICS countries are actively Trading with Russia. America's favorite ally in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is doing deals with Russia and Iran. BTW Saudi Arabia wants to join BRICS. Iran is friendly with Russia. >India and China despise each other and are becoming more, not less hostile. China has pretty openly racist views about India and doesn't treat them like equals in any way shape or form. You are not completely wrong about this. Still India and China Trade is USD 135 Billion. That's after many restrictions they impose on each other. In the Indian and Chinese mindset, it's a very practical relationship. Don't consider each other friends, do business when necessary. About your last point. Chinese don't consider anyone as their equals. --- The world order is changing. BRICS countries are not dictating to anyone how they should live. They are just finding new opportunities among themselves.
- frozenport 4y ago
  >> BRICS countries are not dictating to anyone how they should live. What? Mainland china keeps calling Taiwan its province! Russia just invaded Ukraine to reestablish kleptocracy!
  - senttoschool 4y ago
    >Mainland china keeps calling Taiwan its province! Technically, Taiwan thinks that the entirety of mainland China belongs to Taiwan. The only difference between the two dreams is that Taiwan has no realistic way of acquiring China. But China does.
    - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
      Technically, most Taiwanese neither want to be apart of the ROC or PRC. They dislike the Chiang/nationalists/KMT as much as they dislike the Mao/communists. But if the DPP renounced being the ROC and Taiwan’s claim in the rest of China tomorrow, technically ending the civil war, they know that would provoke the mainland and would definitely invade.

mise_en_place 4y ago

Not to mention all of them are becoming increasingly authoritarian. It’s an alternative for sure. Not sure it’s desirable or preferable.

testHNac 4y ago
Some reading to do about countries becoming authoritarian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/19/america-biden-trump-authoritarinism https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/19/americ... https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/psychological-dimensions-left-wing-authoritarianism/620185/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/09/psychologi... https://www.wired.com/story/us-authoritarian-movement-future/ https://www.wired.com/story/us-authoritarian-movement-future... https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/opinion/democracy-america-authoritarianism-midterms.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/18/opinion/democracy-america... https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/09/23/trump-america-authoritarianism-420681 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/09/23/trump-amer... Pretty sure American love for Freedom of Speech with push this comment into the abyss.

elzbardico 4y ago

GDP (PPP) Ranking according to the IMF in USD Trillions 1. China | 30.07 2. USA | 25.03 3. India | 11.66 4. Japan | 6.10 5. Germany | 5.31 6. Russia | 4.65 7. Indonesia | 4.02 8. Brazil | 3.78 Considering that China is the premier industrial powerhouse of the world, and Russia is probably the country with the vastest reserves of natural reserves in the world, with a highly educated population, and that probably the BRICS will be soon joined by the oil behemoths of Saudi Arabia and Iran, things don't look to me as straightforward as they look to you.

vardump 4y ago
China is going to throw Russia under the bus at the first opportunity. Russians are foolish to think that China will be their ally. China just needs Russia's resources for now.
seanmcdirmid 4y ago
PPP is a bit of a lie. Plenty of things in china, like cars and even housing, are more expensive than they are in America (you get cheap by a reduction in features/capabilities or square footage).

testHNac 4y ago

>Russia is a joke and an international pariah I guess the definition of "international" here is NATO. BRICS have a population of 3.24 Billion. B - Billion. NATO has a population of about 950 Million. M - Million. BRICS countries are actively Trading with Russia. America's favorite ally in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is doing deals with Russia and Iran. BTW Saudi Arabia wants to join BRICS. Iran is friendly with Russia. >India and China despise each other and are becoming more, not less hostile. China has pretty openly racist views about India and doesn't treat them like equals in any way shape or form. You are not completely wrong about this. Still India and China Trade is USD 135 Billion. That's after many restrictions they impose on each other. In the Indian and Chinese mindset, it's a very practical relationship. Don't consider each other friends, do business when necessary. About your last point. Chinese don't consider anyone as their equals. --- The world order is changing. BRICS countries are not dictating to anyone how they should live. They are just finding new opportunities among themselves.

frozenport 4y ago
>> BRICS countries are not dictating to anyone how they should live. What? Mainland china keeps calling Taiwan its province! Russia just invaded Ukraine to reestablish kleptocracy!
- senttoschool 4y ago
  >Mainland china keeps calling Taiwan its province! Technically, Taiwan thinks that the entirety of mainland China belongs to Taiwan. The only difference between the two dreams is that Taiwan has no realistic way of acquiring China. But China does.
  - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
    Technically, most Taiwanese neither want to be apart of the ROC or PRC. They dislike the Chiang/nationalists/KMT as much as they dislike the Mao/communists. But if the DPP renounced being the ROC and Taiwan’s claim in the rest of China tomorrow, technically ending the civil war, they know that would provoke the mainland and would definitely invade.