Fair, Fairer, BRICS
A whole new world… or historical, at the very least. The media latches onto the BRICS summit, going into a frenzy over the summit’s promises and attendees while polishing up on well-established narratives. Although choosing not to attend, the President of Serbia has sung its praises for the summit and the media amplified his sympathies. While outlets suggest that BRICS’s promises are not only mightier and fairer than the West’s, the Russian perspective tops all others. In a similar vein, the media portrayed the West as not only inept, but jealous over Serbia’s invitation to attend.
Multipolar as the buzzword
The majority of media pieces maintain that the 16th BRICS summit, hosted by Russia in Kazan from October 22 to 24 is set to have historical ramifications. With several outlets suggesting the summit is a turning point in history, the Informer further suggests the outcome of the summit will have a planet-shaking effect. The Novosti painted the event as the single most significant event of the year, maintaining that the summit will directly impact the future of humanity. However, most coverage revolved around the multipolar world, mirroring Putin’s message that “the formation of a multipolar world is in progress”.
As outlets kept a tally of the attendees and BRICS members such as India and China, Informer suggested that the West was shocked by the attendance of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres. Coverage soon turned to speculation over what BRICS, as an organization, will seek to achieve. Sporadic coverage relayed the expert claim that one of the main values of membership is “reducing the dependence on the dollar” and other reports suggested that BRICS countries will dominate the world economy by 2050. Still, outlets highlighted Putin’s plan for the BRICS, proposing the establishment of its own grain exchange and diamond platform.
Will he or won’t he?
Prior to the summit, much media attention revolved around the President of Serbia’s decision on whether he will attend the summit in Kazan. In March 2024, Sputnik reported that President Vučić will be a special guest at the summit. However, Vučić kept the media guessing on his decision, suggesting on a few occasions that he will make his decision known soon. Just before the summit, in an interview for public broadcaster RTS 1, Vučić stated that a delegation of four ministers will attend the BRICS summit in his place. He personally thanked the Russian President for the invitation, citing that his inability to attend is due to an important foreign visit to Belgrade.
“I am one of the few leaders in the world who is allowed to talk to President Putin. Then President Macron called me. Yesterday I had a meeting with O’Brien for more than five hours. Of course, they ask me about talks with Putin.” (Blic, 24.10.2024.)
Meanwhile, experts suggest that this represents a crossroads for Serbia which has been caught up between the EU and BRICS. While not being able to attend in person, Vučić alluded to the significance of the BRICS summit, suggesting that it will have increased significance in the future:
“I saw a few days ago what people in Serbia think about this matter. Even today, if you tell them, even though people don’t really know what BRICS means, they have heard that there are some other countries in the world that blackmail us less, but they don’t know that there are no real mechanisms and that it doesn’t work in a similar way as the European Union. Whether it will be in the future, that is another matter and I don’t exclude that possibility, but the level of popularity is somewhere around 42 – 42” (RTS, 21.10.2024.)
Heading the Serbian delegation at the summit was Aleksandar Vulin, currently the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, who highlighted his hope that there is a place for Serbia in BRICS. Speaking in an exclusive interview for RT Balkan at the summit, Vulin said that Serbia’s participation in the BRICS Summit is a sign of sincere respect and trust in Russia and that Serbia will choose between the EU and BRICS in the next few years. The Minister of Economy, Adrijana Mesarović, also gave an exclusive interview to RT Balkan at the summit.
After attending the BRICS summit, Aleksandar Vulin had highlighted that BRICS seeks:
“To offer work on strengthening cooperation in the fields of energy, agriculture, health and security through the cooperation of our services in the field of fighting terrorism, all forms of extremism and all forms of ‘color revolutions’ with which the collective West cancels every democratic value and brings to power henchmen who voluntarily make colonies out of their countries” (Blic, 25.10.2024.)
The West’s futile devices
In highlighting the advantages of BRICS, the media cast them in contrast with the West. At the heels of the summit, the media suggest that the West will burst with anguish. Central to this sentiment is the message relayed by the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, who had also attended the summit. Dodik stated that BRICS offers a hope for a fairer planet, further saying that “the West is not looking for collaborators, but servants”. Outlets amplify the Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia’s, Maria Zakharova, statement that the summit was an informational shock for the West.
In weighing-in on the polarity debate, Vulin relayed similar sentiments which took aim at the West:
“The unlimited power of one power proved to be a great crime when NATO attacked Serbia in 1999. NATO did not ask the United Nations or any of you then – force was a sufficient justification. NATO tried to kill Serbia then, but Serbia survived” (Blic, 25.10.2024.)
The three winners: Russia, China and… Serbia
The majority of the news pieces prior to and following the summit amplify the Russian position. With outlets stating that President Putin made revelations about the war in Ukraine, Informer suggested that Western media is buzzing about Putin’s great victory at the summit. As put forth by Informer, Putin is building a “new world order”. Inadvertently, the Chinese perspective also came out on top. As the Republika portal maintains, Russia and China “already rule the planet”. Meanwhile, more praise is given to Serbia. In an apparent shock to the West, as the media claim, the presence of Serbia at the summit is admiration-worthy and France is left to cry over its lost independence.