Trump may be BRICS’s best recruitment agent

What the report says

Al Jazeera opinion columnist Ilan Kapoor argues that President Donald Trump’s approach to BRICS may be pushing more countries toward the bloc’s economic cooperation efforts rather than isolating them. The piece says Trump has threatened tariffs and used trade pressure against countries including Brazil, India and China, even as BRICS leaders meet in New Delhi. Kapoor writes that this coercive strategy may increase the appeal of reducing dependence on US markets, the dollar and US-linked financial infrastructure.

The article notes that BRICS now includes 11 countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Kapoor emphasizes that the group is not a unified anti-US alliance, pointing to major differences among members, including tensions involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India and China. Still, he says they share an interest in building more room to maneuver economically.

As background, the article cites ongoing efforts to settle more trade in local currencies and connect payment systems. Examples include Brazil and China using their own currencies in bilateral trade, India and the UAE settling some transactions in rupees and dirhams, and South Africa’s connection to China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System. Kapoor also points to the BRICS-backed New Development Bank, which is expanding lending in members’ currencies.

The broader argument is that these steps do not amount to a dollar replacement, but they may gradually lower the cost of acting independently of Washington. The piece suggests that US financial pressure can encourage countries to diversify away from Western-controlled channels, even if they are not looking to align closely with Beijing.