BRICS, Brasil 2025. Photo: Kirill Zykov/Sputnik.
By Pepe Escobar – Jul 9, 2025
Rio de Janeiro – Hats off, once again, to the stunning unpredictability of the Angel of History. Just when we thought we are doomed as a new, long dark cloud is coming down – see the current convulsions of the Empire of Chaos – a glimmer of hope pierces the horizon.
Against all odds, the BRICS 2025 summit in Rio did deliver. Expectations were low – considering the Brazilian presidency (their priority for the year has always been the COP-30 in the Amazon in November, not BRICS). Setting up a crucial geopolitical/geoeconomic summit in the middle of the year, with only a few months for preparation, is not exactly a brilliant managing strategy.
Yet at the moment of truth, BRICS as a whole scored a stunning comeback. The feeling in Rio – from Global South-wide business representatives and diplomats – was almost of exhilaration.
It starts with the 130-point plus final declaration, not only thoroughly detailing every major issue, with calculated moderation, but resolutely setting a trademark BRICS tone – and clear set of humanistic values – focused in three strategic pillars: economy/finance; designing a new global security framework; and cultural and people-to-people exchanges (to quote our Chinese friends). And everything under the over-arching umbrella of inclusiveness and mutual respect.
To sum it all up, there are reasons to call this approach the Lavrov Effect – after the most consequential diplomat of our time.
The Birth of the “Post-West” World
There were quite a few highlights in Rio. These are some of the key takeaways:
1- The NDB – the BRICS bank, headquartered in Shanghai – finally took the center stage, after an extensive two-day meeting. And it was up to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to act as the most crucial top official at the summit. It was Siluanov who announced that the NDB may become the key platform for financing megaprojects across BRICS, including for partners, bypassing SWIFT.
🚨 BRICS to launch new investment platform tied to BRICS Bank – Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced a major initiative within BRICS to create a new investment platform linked to the BRICS Development Bank, with the goal of building an innovative tool for… https://t.co/H5Oro2jnHU pic.twitter.com/YwUfqsTFnG
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 6, 2025
That is one of the practical follow-ups to the ultra-hard work by Russia last year preparing for the summit in Kazan. Russia sent a high-powered delegation to Rio, the second largest. Siluanov was the point man extolling the drive towards “a new geo-finance architecture and payment settlements architecture.”
The hard work starts now for the NDB. Additionally, let’s see whether member-nations will start using the essential Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) – a mutual financial support platform to help countries with their balance of payments.
2- The BRICS Business Council, which got together in a full day of meetings, opened by President Lula and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar delivered a concise masterclass, invoking the Spirit of Bandung and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) legacy – Sukarno, Nehru, Zhou Enlai – as a precursor to the current, way more powerful Global South renaissance.
Picture virtually the whole Global South networking in a former port warehouse by the seaside, with a special role for Women’s Business Associations, exchanging info on new and prospective investment/development projects. Productive economy in effect, not speculation.
This was compounded by a very special trio: representatives of the Business Council; the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance; and the BRICS People’s Council, its civil society arm – personally received by President Lula, who lavishly praised their work.
3- The lineaments of a new system for international relations, in several fields, being designed in practice by the Global South. This was evident in every major intervention, bet it by Lula, Lavrov or Anwar. Chinese scholars – a formidable contingent in Rio – are already defining it as the “post-West” world.
4- The role of media. Serious debates took place in Rio and in Niteroi, across the bay. A “Letter from Niteroi” first delivered in person to Cuban President Diaz-Canel, detailed possible steps to form a public/private BRICS-wide media network – counterposed to the one-narrative-fits-all Big Tech push. Deeper connections were forged by existing companies, such as the collaboration between Sputnik (Russia), Guancha (China) and Brasil 247 (Brazil)
‘They’re Trying to Destroy the Dollar’: Trump Threatens BRICS
Let a Million Tariffs Bloom
There was plenty of debate in Rio, at all levels, on reform of the UN Security Council and the IMF. In reality, that’s idle. The Empire of Chaos will never concede anything to BRICS. On the contrary.
Lavrov provided a cystal clear, concrete example: “In 2023 the IMF approved an unprecedented credit for Ukraine worth 15,6 billion dollars (577% of Ukraine’s country quota). It makes up more than a third of annual volume of all IMF programs. Since the beginning of 2022 the World Bank has pledged to allocate nearly 54 billion dollars for Ukraine. In total these sums allocated to Ukraine are twice as much as annual volumes of assignations allocated by the Bretton Woods structures to all countries of Africa.”
There was a feeling, widespread in all discussions, that it’s up to BRICS to advance their own solutions – and fast. For instance: China announcing it will soon establish a China-BRICS Research Center on new quality productive forces, as well as a scholarship for BRICS nations to advance knowledge on industry and telecom.
An imperative derives from all of the above: to attack each individual BRICS member it’s to attack them all. That was already reflected in the consensual reaction to the Empire of Chaos bombing of the Iranian nuclear program. It was crucial for Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi to make the trip to Rio – and receive the solidarity of his peers.
🇷🇺🤝🇮🇷 Russian FM Lavrov meets Iranian FM Araghchi on sidelines of BRICS Summit in Brazil
Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s condemnation of Israel and the US for their unprovoked military strikes on Iranian territory — including attacks on nuclear energy sites under IAEA safeguards —… https://t.co/Loj1q0KFDw pic.twitter.com/BHOj7xRBaw
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 6, 2025
Endless questions may be asked on whether some BRICS are fully committed to the vision; in fact some partners, like the Southeast Asians, are way more daring. It’s a fabulous development that Lula promised to go to the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur next October; that’s increasing South America/Southeast Asia interconnection in effect.
In parallel, it was quite intriguing to see Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan showing up in Rio. Last year in Kazan, Ankara was invited to become a member but is still hedging its bets. Erdogan evidently has not yet figured out what he may stand to gain, personally, from a multilateral organization based on equality.
As for the UN, BRICS may soon have all it takes to be stronger than the unconsequential UN. Without even the need to take over. As for Lula’s notion of bringing the G20 into BRICS, let’s attribute it to the drowsy effect of a sleepless night – after a marathon of meetings.
In the end, what really matters is that inescapable feeling in the air that the key BRICS drivers – Russia and China – are fully aware that the definitive blow to the Empire of Chaos will not be military. It will be geoeconomical. This was a fascinating, unspoken variable traveling from the tour de force in Kazan to the bossa nova groove in Rio.
🚨 ‘MULTIPOLARITY IS NOT A CHOICE BUT AN OBJECTIVE REALITY’ – LAVROV
💬 “It’s coming to replace the old neoliberal model, which is outdated, which was based on neocolonial practices,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the 17th BRICS summit. https://t.co/5vEojy2QDQ pic.twitter.com/6JvJfwPVnm
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 6, 2025
So it’s no wonder the Circus Ringmaster decided to go Full Psycho on the temper tantrum department. First he proclaimed that BRICS is dead – without a clue on what BRICS is all about. Then he threatened 100% tariffs. Now he threatens 10% tariffs – applied to any nation doing business with “anti-American” BRICS. What next? A million percent?
Let a million tariffs bloom. BRICS and the Global South will not lose any sleep about it. Gradmaster Lavrov nailed it: “The traditional paradigm of globalization where the predominant role is played by the so-called developed states of the West is becoming a relic.” Let the (Global South) sushine in.
(Sputnik)
Pepe Escobar
Pepe Escobar is a Brazilian journalist. He writes a column – The Roving Eye – for Asia Times Online, and works as an analyst for RT, Sputnik News, and Press TV. In addition, he previously worked for Al Jazeera.
