BRICS Summit 2025: A Fading Alliance Amid Global Tensions
The recent BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6–7, 2025, was supposed to showcase the growing clout of the Global South’s economic bloc. Instead, it revealed a coalition fraying at the edges, with the absence of two of its most prominent leaders—Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping—casting a shadow over the gathering. For conservatives, this watered-down summit underscores the fragility of anti-Western alliances and the enduring strength of international norms rooted in accountability and rule of law.
The absence of Putin was no surprise. An arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made his attendance in Brazil, an ICC member state, a non-starter. Brazil’s obligation to detain him under international law kept Putin at home, sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his place. This is a clear win for Western-led institutions like the ICC, which continue to hold authoritarian leaders accountable, even if imperfectly. It’s a reminder that actions have consequences, and Putin’s aggression in Ukraine has boxed him into a corner, limiting his global influence.
Xi Jinping’s no-show, however, raises deeper questions. For the first time, China’s leader skipped a BRICS summit, sending a lesser delegation instead. While Beijing offered no clear explanation, the timing suggests a mix of strategic calculus and internal priorities. With U.S. tariffs and trade tensions escalating, Xi may be prioritizing domestic economic stability over symbolic gatherings. Alternatively, his absence could signal frustration with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose left-leaning government has tried to straddle both BRICS and Western alliances. Either way, Xi’s absence undermines the narrative of a unified BRICS front challenging American dominance.’
For conservatives, this summit exposes the inherent weaknesses of BRICS as an anti-Western bloc. The group’s expansion to include nations like Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Indonesia has diluted its coherence. These countries bring competing interests—some are U.S. allies, others are mired in their own regional conflicts. India’s Narendra Modi showed up, but his presence only highlighted New Delhi’s pragmatic approach: engage with BRICS, but keep strong ties with the West. This isn’t the makings of a revolutionary alliance; it’s a loose coalition of convenience, riddled with mistrust and conflicting agendas.
Lula’s push for a “Global South” agenda, including a new BRICS currency to rival the dollar, fell flat without Putin and Xi’s star power. The idea of de-dollarization, long a pipe dream of anti-American regimes, lacks traction when the bloc’s heavyweights can’t even muster the will to attend. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar remains the world’s reserve currency, backed by the stability and military might of a nation that doesn’t shy away from enforcing sanctions or supporting allies like Ukraine and Israel.
The summit’s lackluster turnout also reflects the broader geopolitical reality: authoritarian regimes, no matter how loudly they decry the West, face internal and external pressures that limit their ability to project power. Russia’s economy is strained by sanctions and war, while China grapples with a slowing economy and trade disputes. These are not the hallmarks of a bloc ready to supplant the Western-led order. Instead, they highlight the resilience of a world order built on democratic values, legal accountability, and economic freedom—even if it’s not perfect.
Conservatives should take heart from this. The BRICS summit’s fizzle is a reminder that alliances built on resentment rather than shared values are brittle. While Lula dreams of a multipolar world, the absence of key players like Putin and Xi shows that their vision is more rhetoric than reality. The United States, with its unmatched economic and military strength, remains the indispensable nation. As long as we stay true to our principles—supporting liberty, enforcing consequences for aggression, and fostering prosperity—we’ll continue to lead, no matter how many summits our adversaries skip.
**Sources**:
– Reuters, coverage of BRICS summit 2025
– BBC News, analysis of Putin’s ICC warrant and travel restrictions
– Financial Times, reports on Xi Jinping’s absence and China’s trade tensions
– The Wall Street Journal, articles on BRICS expansion and geopolitical dynamics
– Public posts on X, reflecting sentiment on BRICS leadership and unity