28 October 2025
Multilateral Matters – October 2025
BRICS: Hype or Hope?
While BRICS was formed in 2009, its expansion since 2024 has brought the bloc under closer scrutiny, as questions remain over its real impact on the international order. Some analysts have argued that BRICS represents a genuine counterweight of Global South nations to the Western-led G7, while others question whether BRICS members can look beyond internal disagreements to forward their evolving agenda in development finance and digital sovereignty. Can BRICS truly usher in a reformed international order, or is it all just hype?
Featured Commentary
BRICS in the Wake of the Rio Summit and US Tariff Threats by Nazia Hussain
In this issue’s featured commentary, CMS Associate Research Fellow Nazia Hussain writes about the latest developments in BRICS on the heels of its 2025 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ms Hussain argues that US President Trump’s tariff threats have not dissuaded countries in the Global South from joining BRICS as they seek multilat-eral forums which are more “responsive to their needs”. She also writes about what to expect from India’s BRICS chairmanship in 2026.
CMS Events and Outreach
- On 4 August 2025, CMS, together with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies of RSIS and the Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG) of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy hosted the second edition of the “Revisiting Economic Security in Southeast Asia” workshop series at RSIS, featuring a diverse group of scholars from the region to examine how Southeast Asia has adapted to a rapidly shifting geoeconomic environment.
- On 4 September 2025, CMS hosted a webinar entitled “Regional Organisations Amid Geopolitical Shifts: World Order and the Strategic Role of Small and Middle Powers” featuring Dr Alica Kizekova from the Faculty of Humanities of Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where she discussed how traditional regional organisations such as the EU and ASEAN face new challenges and opportunities in an era marked by significant geopolitical shifts.
BRICS: Hype or Hope?
While BRICS was formed in 2009, its expansion since 2024 has brought the bloc under closer scrutiny, as questions remain over its real impact on the international order. Some analysts have argued that BRICS represents a genuine counterweight of Global South nations to the Western-led G7, while others question whether BRICS members can look beyond internal disagreements to forward their evolving agenda in development finance and digital sovereignty. Can BRICS truly usher in a reformed international order, or is it all just hype?
Featured Commentary
BRICS in the Wake of the Rio Summit and US Tariff Threats by Nazia Hussain
In this issue’s featured commentary, CMS Associate Research Fellow Nazia Hussain writes about the latest developments in BRICS on the heels of its 2025 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ms Hussain argues that US President Trump’s tariff threats have not dissuaded countries in the Global South from joining BRICS as they seek multilat-eral forums which are more “responsive to their needs”. She also writes about what to expect from India’s BRICS chairmanship in 2026.
CMS Events and Outreach
- On 4 August 2025, CMS, together with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies of RSIS and the Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG) of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy hosted the second edition of the “Revisiting Economic Security in Southeast Asia” workshop series at RSIS, featuring a diverse group of scholars from the region to examine how Southeast Asia has adapted to a rapidly shifting geoeconomic environment.
- On 4 September 2025, CMS hosted a webinar entitled “Regional Organisations Amid Geopolitical Shifts: World Order and the Strategic Role of Small and Middle Powers” featuring Dr Alica Kizekova from the Faculty of Humanities of Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where she discussed how traditional regional organisations such as the EU and ASEAN face new challenges and opportunities in an era marked by significant geopolitical shifts.
