Any economic bloc led by China and Russia means nothing good for the world — time to put an end to it!
The BRICS summit is underway in Johannesburg, South Africa. The leaders of some of the world’s biggest economies showed up for photos yesterday. Xi Jinping shuffled along like his feet were tied together Geisha (yes, I know they are from Japan); the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, was in his traditional garb, and South Africa and Brazil were present.
Missing, of course, was Vladimir Putin. The incorrigible liar represented him, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov. As I looked at the photo of the five, arms raised in some bizarre show of unity which suggested, I guess, a kind of strength too, it dawned on me how destructive those five countries are to the world. Not only in terms of their struggles with democracy but, more importantly, their collective refusal to do anything about climate change.
The emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) have significant influence on the global economic and environmental trajectories. They have carbon intensive economic systems, which contribute significantly to total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, leading to climate change (BRICS and the Race to Net-Zero Emissions).
Despite joining the rest of the industrialized world to shoot for net-zero emissions, not one of these countries is actually doing anything to slow the level of their emissions. China, the world’s largest manufacturer of batteries and solar panels, does so not for use inside of China but to control world markets — a business decision that causes more carbon waste than it reduces. The five countries of BRICS are responsible for 40 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.
There is the added collective disgrace this group carries because not a single one of these countries has cut off ties with Russia over its war with Ukraine, and, in the case of China, with its infinitely morally superior way, Xi goes out of his way to align with the sponsor of state terrorism that Russia is today.
China and Russia used the second day of the BRICS Summit of emerging economies to criticize the West, while also throwing their support behind the proposed expansion of what’s seen by some as an alternative power bloc (Putin, XI Slam West).
For all the evil that the West has done over the centuries, there is a progression toward getting better, toward some recalibrating of the scales to, if not to aggressively combat inequality, then to at least shine a light on its existence. Could more be done besides meeting at the anachronistic annual meeting in Davos? Absolutely, but at least the West tries.
The BRIC countries are led by the most prominent and morally reprehensible authoritarian leaders, Putin and Xi. They offer nothing but failure and an acceleration of all of the world’s problems because of their greedy and self-obsessed ways. As for India, Brazil, and South Africa, well, you started your development when the world couldn’t tolerate more of this kind of carbon-heavy growth, so you need to reconsider your path to the future.
The Western democracies have an obligation to delink India, Brazil, and South Africa from China and Russia and to discourage the expansion of this pointless bloc with other traditional human rights abusers like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Egypt.
Putin bored the audience yet again with a historically inaccurate, if not ignorant, rant about how Russia has been eternally wronged by the world — never by anything it does to itself — and I would love to know how many diplomats just wanted to yell, “Shut up already, you are so goddamn boring with your incessant whine about how everyone is against you, shithead.”
No one did, but Xi did make a statement that I am more than confident was aimed right at Putin and not anyone in the West.
“The cold war mentality is still haunting our world, and the geopolitical situation is getting tense,” he said through a translator (Putin, XI Slam West).
The only lunatic in the room rationalizing life in the context of the Cold War is Putin. No one in the West is making any of the wild statements that Medvedev, Lavrov, and so many of the other weakling sycophants with their heads up Putin’s ass are.
As for pushing for a de-dollarization of the world economy, keep pushing, shitheads. You keep talking about it, but you are all greedy and mediocre men morally incapable of agreeing with anyone because you are driven by the need to steal, cheat, and lie. Those are not the components of a good economic bloc.
BRICS is an irrelevant bloc until India, Brazil, and South Africa openly break with China and Russia. I say it’s time we let them try their luck with Xi and Putin. Those three countries are aligned with two of the most fascist regimes in the world, and as voters and citizens in a tragically hot world, we should not tolerate this insult.
Any economic bloc led by China and Russia is one that can be guaranteed to end this earth. None of the countries seeking to join will make any efforts to curb carbon emissions because they will be focused on accelerating growth — which will only result in more intensified climate tragedy. Xi and Putin are losers, and they will undercut all efforts sane countries try to implement.
