Author: Xusheng source: Xusheng (official account id:lxlong20) has been reproduced with authorization
According to globegroup.com, on June 27, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said khatibzad publicly said through a press conference that Iran has officially submitted its application to join the BRICs countries.
——Iran will become a member of the BRICs.
Today, there are nearly 200 countries in the global village, most of which are actually “bricks”. They have no value, no future and no dreams, just lying there like salted fish.
The BRICs countries are obviously countries with values, prospects and dreams. The concept of BRICs came from Jim O’Neill, the chief economist of Goldman Sachs, a capital giant, in 2001.
At that time, in order to describe the emerging markets, Jim proposed that China, India, Russia and Brazil were the BRICs.
Subsequently, in 2006, the foreign ministers of China, India, Russia and Pakistan met at the UN General Assembly, opening the curtain of BRICs cooperation. In 2009, BRICs cooperation was upgraded to the BRICs summit. By 2011, with the accession of South Africa, the BRICs system was officially formed.
This news is actually quite morale boosting:
In terms of territory, the BRICs countries account for 30% of the world;
In terms of population, the BRICs countries account for 40% of the world.
Iran (followed by Argentina, Indonesia and other countries with great potential) joining the BRICs can be said to be a win-win situation.
01 gold brick and brick
If the G7 represents the club of the rich, then the BRICs countries represent the hope of developing countries. In 2001, the global GDP of the BRICs countries accounted for about 8%; By 2019, this figure rose to 25%. The reason why several BRICs countries in the global village are called BRICs lies in their high-speed development.
However, from the perspective of development, the BRICs countries are also completely different.
First of all, China has been developing steadily and at a high speed.
Secondly, except for China, India has been developing steadily. Although Chinese media often ridicule India, it cannot be denied that India has been developing. Although India has not developed as fast as China in the past 20 years, it has been very good compared with most countries in the global village.
Third, Russia has been pausing. Over the years of Putin’s rule over Russia, Russia has basically stood still in the economic level, only making some territorial achievements.
Fourth, Brazil and South Africa are roller coasters, which were greatly affected by the 2008 financial crisis.
In other words, the rapid development of BRICs countries is actually the development of China and India (especially China). Because of China’s rapid development and large size, the BRICs countries appear to be developing at a high speed.
In short, China is a real BRICs, India is barely a BRICs, and Russia, Brazil and South Africa are actually bricks mixed with the BRICs.
So is Iran joining the BRICs countries to become a BRICs or a brick with the BRICs?
02 Iran opportunities
For Iran, joining the BRICs countries is of great significance.
Iran’s current poverty is largely due to US sanctions.
Before the outbreak of the Israeli revolution, in the years when the Pahlavi Dynasty was friendly with the United States, Iran, like Saudi Arabia, was rich in oil. Iran’s oil and natural gas cannot be sold because of U.S. sanctions, so it is very poor.
There are only two ways for Iran to become rich again:
Or reconcile with the United States in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
Or cooperate with other major countries to bypass U.S. sanctions.
Cooperation with the BRICs countries is a way to bypass U.S. sanctions. Because the United States and the West cannot sanction the BRICs at the same time. Especially if they need to win over India to deal with China, it is impossible to sanction India.
India happens to be a big customer of Iran’s energy. A few more words here. Due to the opposition between India and Pakistan, Pakistan has good relations with Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. So India and Iran have a huge foundation for cooperation. In addition, India is very close to Iran, so it is very convenient to buy energy from Iran.
If Iran joins the BRICs countries, India’s purchase of Iranian energy will be more justified. With China and India, the two super big customers, Iran’s probability of bypassing U.S. sanctions will greatly increase.
Therefore, for Iran, joining the BRICs countries is definitely an opportunity, and the probability of becoming a BRICs country is also relatively high. Of course, this is just a probability. In the end, there are still great variables in whether it can become a BRIC. At that time, South Africa and Brazil seemed to have a good momentum, but time has proved that they are not BRICs, but bricks together with the BRICs.
03 big game
The expansion of BRICs countries is essentially a part of the game of great powers.
Throughout the global village, among the economies of developed countries, only the United States is still growing, while Japan, South Korea and European countries are basically standing still. Now China is on the road of national rejuvenation, but it has encountered the suppression and containment of the United States.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia wanted to integrate into the western world but could not. Now it has turned against the West.
India and the West have good relations with Russia, and they often find China to touch porcelain.
In this case, the expansion of BRICs countries is essentially an attempt by China and Russia to spread influence. If Iran joins in and develops well, the attraction of the BRICs countries will increase greatly. Argentina, Indonesia and other countries will find ways to join, and it will be more difficult for the United States to sanction the BRICs countries.
Taking the United States as an example, one of the most important reasons why we can accept so many younger brothers is that the United States helps many younger brothers become rich. The Marshall Plan after World War II helped Europe recover. After the Korean War, Japan’s economy took off. He also created the four Asian dragons as his bridgehead.
If China wants to continue to expand its influence, it must also make its followers richer. For example, turning Iran into a real BRICs is one of the options.
