The Brics And Switzerland: Aspirations And Reality

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) What is the significance of the Brics group of states and how should Switzerland position itself regarding them? The perspectives on this differ. This content was published on July 3, 2025 - 09:00 9 minutes

As a reporter I cover developments in democracy where the Swiss perspective becomes relevant. I am Swiss and have long been fascinated by the way public discussions shape society.

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The Brics group has been trying to shake up international politics for almost two decades. The“loose gathering of states”, as a report by the Swiss foreign ministry puts it, presents an“effectively staged and propagated world and self-image” at its summits, which is attractive to emerging and developing countries: a“world order” that has to adapt to new centres of power.

However, the term was coined in 2001 by an economist at the US investment bank Goldman SachsExternal link , of all people, who used the slogan“Building Better Global Economic BRICs” to draw attention to the economic growth and importance of Brazil, Russia, India and China (the group was later joined by South Africa). This was almost a decade before the first Brics summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, during the 2009 financial crisis.

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Since then, the group has grown in importance. More countries have joined and around half of the world's population now lives in a Brics country; together they represent over 40% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The group has just under a dozen partner states, and around 30 other countries have expressed an interest in joining. However, it remains difficult to grasp what the Brics are all about: they are not an alliance, nor do they share a common free trade area. There is still no permanent secretariat.

Nevertheless, the group of states should not be underestimated, says Swiss political consultant Remo Reginold. On the contrary,“I see the Brics as a symbol of a development that heralds a new era in global politics”.

For Reginold, the term“conglomerate” is best suited to the group of states: a cluster of different materials with different structures, sizes and characteristics that are held together by a matrix. This common matrix is the endeavour to jointly break Western dominance in the world.

Among other things, the Brics are calling for a reform of the UN and the Bretton Woods institutions (International Monetary Fund and World Bank). In particular, the interests of the Global South should be better represented.

The group of states has established its own institutions, such as the New Development Bank (NDB), and also maintains working groups and transnational partnerships.“With this network of relationships, Brics is creating a new form of international cooperation,” Reginold says. And one that is not orientated towards Western rules and regulations.

For Reginold,“Switzerland and the West in general” must learn to“understand the Brics and read their signs correctly”. Because of the Western perspective, too little research has been done into how the group's informal networks function, he says.

If Switzerland behaved skilfully and contributed its networks, flexibility and interests,“Switzerland would even have the potential to become a bridge builder between the Global North and the Global South”, Reginold says. He adds, however, that this also includes development cooperation, where Switzerland, like many Western countries, is currently cutting back.

Read how, where and why Switzerland is reducing its development aid:

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