The "post-Washingtion consensus" is too fragmented to have any real coordinated actions. BRICS is not some united force willing to work together. BRICS was meant for economies of similar scale to work together. China is already more than three times the size of the other 4 combined.The only thing that aligns all 5 now is generally anti-americanism which isn't much of a unifying force. China and India continue to worsen ties and Russia has become a bit of a pariah. Brazil and South Africa are too far apart from the rest for any meaningful cooperation.
Yes because they have nothing to gain from sanctioning Russia. But they also have virtually no trade with it so whether they sanctioned it or not means nothing. Russia trades mostly with Europe and China, not BRICS. And the sanctions have already clearly dug in.
Brownie points mean less than nothing. Nations do not upon brownie points, just their self interests. If Brazil sanctioned Russia it would mean nothing and Washington would see it as such.
> Brownie points mean less than nothing. Nations do not upon brownie points, just their self interests.
Except when you behave like this, you end up like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi -- lynched while their country is destroyed. "Brownie points" with the unipolar superpower is absolutely meaningful as long as they maintain that position. Which they don't anymore, circa 2020 or so.
Exactly. You need to be either neutral or favorable towards the superpower. If you are not, and you seek national interests at the expense of Washington's interests (e.g. nationalizing resources, competing with the USD), you will get wrecked.
So we agree? Most nations have stayed neutral or sided against Russia. The only nations that side with Russia are Syria, Eritrea, North Korea, and Belarus. None of them have either the economy or military to do even the small amount except for Belarus. And Lukashenko knows sending his troops to Ukraine makes him vulnerable to his citizens and Russia at the same time. His military is the only thing stopping the people or Putin from kicking him out.
