trade is trade. we live in a global world where every country wants to engage to survive economically.
countries may have different values, cultures, religions, etc but money is what makes the world go around.
Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, has been trying to form new alliances in Brazil, India and Africa. Hari Kumar asks what does it mean to speak of multi-polarity world and what is the German and EU position within it?
Germany hedges bets in changing international order
It's exactly not only about trade.
But I am not questioning BRICS. Together, these countries make up 40 percent of the world's population and a quarter of global economic output. (I can find just 3 states "queuing up", Argentina, Algeria, Iran).
And, most important, one has to see who is behind the attempts to expand such alliances: China and its political interests.
(see also the Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO - China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Turkey is interested)
China and also Russia try to use BRICS to forge a new alliance against the West and above all the US.
Brazil, India and South Africa are against that.
And - apart from the central conflict between China and the US we see also the beginning of
Deglobalization.
This indeed shows a new age of Pluto in Aquarius (power, groups) as well as Saturn in Pisces (old alliances changing) and Uranus in Taurus (currency issues, stock market turmoil).
1.
Corona has shown that globalization brings big problems in supply chains, so people are trying to move production back inland.
Actual example für both, US tough on China and Deglobalization:
Chip industry. No exports to China if components from the USA are installed in the machines for chip production. (China could use the chips for their war machine). The Netherlands, as Europe's largest chip manufacturer, has already taken the step with the USA and is accepting financial losses. German companies like VW and BASF are also changing their China strategy.
2.
The Ukraine war changed the situation again.
We have rising interest rates, rising food prices and turmoil on the international commodity markets.
BRICS can bring better protection, e.g. for Argentina, which has been in severe economic crisis for years.
And Iran's second largest gas reserves in the world are welcome in the alliance.
But Brazil, India and South Africa are not in favour of enlargement for fear of losing their own importance.
And they do not want to be drawn into the growing confrontation between the US and China or Russia.
So again this is not only about trade.
And why does Europe want new alliances?
After Trump, it can no longer just rely on America, Scholz/EU are forced to be Anti-Merkelist.
Cause: What if the next US-elections produce another catastrophe like him?
Ron DeSantis is also a protectionist.
And another UR/TAU example of China trying to boot out the US:
China is working hard to get the yuan to supplant the US dollar. This would protect dictatorships from US sanctions and oil trading would take place in China and no longer on western stock exchanges. Putin has announced that in future all oil and gas transactions with the People's Republic will be settled in Chinese yuan.