Commentary What is the impact on the global strategic balance of plans by the BRICS nations to create an economic framework or marketplace, possibly backed in the future by an independent currency regime? The BRICS bloc—Brazil, Russia, India, China (PRC), and South Africa—was originally an acronym conceived by New York investors in 2001, but assumed…

Commentary Saudi Arabia was China’s biggest oil supplier in April, according to the latest data released on May 20. China’s oil imports from the kingdom rose 2.9 percent year-to-date. Saudi oil imported into China in April totaled 8.46 million tons (2.06 million barrels per day). This exceeded the 7.12 million tons imported from Russia and 4.72 million…

Commentary The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is expanding by absorbing pariah states, such as Iran, Burma (also known as Myanmar), and Belarus, while increasing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military and economic reach around the globe. In early May, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait became official dialogue partners of the SCO, enhancing the…

With only weeks until South Africa hosts the annual two-day summit of BRICS nations in June, one official revealed that many countries requested membership to join the bloc of emerging-market states. BRICS comprises five countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—with prominent emerging market economies. Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s ambassador to the organization, confirmed to…

Amidst the buzz surrounding Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s China visit that began on April 12, the leaders of both countries have signed more than 20 new bilateral agreements. On the surface, the trip was a run-of-the-mill diplomatic visit. However, some say it underscores an ongoing deprioritization of relations with the United States. China…

The North African nation of Tunisia plans to join BRICS, a bloc of the world’s leading developing economies including Brazil, Russia, Iran, China, and South Africa. Asked about the issue, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said that it was “a sovereign decision” for Tunisia to make. The coalition of developing nations includes some…

While the media in America has been laser-focused on the arrest and indictment of former President Donald Trump, the rest of the world hasn’t stopped spinning. Instead, many of the United States’ geopolitical rivals are taking this opportunity, while America is distracted, to make their moves. For instance, the BRICS nations (an organization, similar to…

Commentary Combined military and naval drills between South Africa, Russia, and China began on Feb. 22. The 10-day wargames coincided with the one-year anniversary of the Russian War in Ukraine. Leading up to the start of the exercises, Russian warships docked in South Africa. The ships were marked with the letters “Z” and “V”, which have…

Moscow threatened to ignore the oil price cap set by the West and said that Russia will continue to charge buyers regular prices, or they cut them off. The Russian government would not follow the cap level that the European Union (EU) and the G-7 has proposed on Russian oil prices since and would prefer…

Commentary On Sept. 26, the Nord Stream pipeline was attacked. Who was responsible? Many people, including German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, were quick to blame Russia. Others pointed the finger at the United States. While millions of people are busy playing whodunit, millions of Europeans are praying for a mild winter. The attack must be…