Standpoints Regarding the BRICS Construction

摘要

After thirteen years of "virtual" existence and five years of de jure functioning, the BRICS construction belongs to the world governance architecture. The main dimensions of the BRICS cooperation framework are given by the economic and geopolitical determinants for this strategic alliance, influenced by the evolving global circumstances. Our paper, structured in four sections, focuses on the most significant pillars of this construction. First, it makes a general assessment of the macroeconomic situation of these five countries, including their strengths and weaknesses. Second, it gauges the degree of integration among these emerging economies, through channels such as the trade, investment, know-how, technology, common initiatives. Third, it investigates the geopolitical determinants of the linkages among the BRICS countries, associated with the reconfiguration of the international organizations architecture and the reshaping of the balance of world power. The final section concludes. Our investigation is based on longitudinal and transversal comparative analyses supported by statistics, economic phenomena, processes and also the rich literature.