![BRICS Expansion and the New Middle East; From Saudi Arabia to Iran [Part I]](https://al-sarira.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/saudi-arabia-wants-to-join-brics-says-south-african-president-cyril-ramaphosa.jpg)
The MENA area is not immune from a potential shifting global order, thus it should be expected that the BRICS group is moving to increase its number of members in this period of developing multi-polar partnerships.
The G7, mostly the economic and security giants of the world, is usually seen as an opposing group to the BRICS with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as its current members.
Six countries received invitations from the BRICs including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. The Middle East nations were welcomed to join on Thursday in the summit’s conclusion in South Africa.
The group’s goal to re-balance a global competition that it perceives as being skewed against it is the motivation behind the recent expansion policy.
According to the Brazilian President on Thursday, the bloc would soon welcome additional members selected for their strategic significance rather than their philosophy. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was actually hinting that its MENA picks were also centered on strengthening the group’s influence.
UAE officials have already accepted the bloc’s proposal. Analysts predict that Tehran and Cairo will also embrace their invites, largely motivated by financial considerations.
However, Saudi Arabia is still considering the plan. Riyadh is aslo likely to accept it since it wants to balance its connections with the US and developing countries like China.
Analysts claim that a number of pillars of the kingdom’s impregnable relationship with the US have already given way. Riyadh’s admission to BRICS would cause yet another unwinding, but linkages would still persist.
Prior to embracing the offer, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will first assess Washington’s response. Riyadh will also take into account any proposals made by the groups that Joe Biden will send to Saudi Arabia.
Is Saudi Arabia in?
However, analysts note that Saudi Arabia, which is currently a regional power, also has an audacious desire to become a worldwide powerhouse. The objective requires closer connections with Beijing as a crucial factor.
The fascination in balancing is also shared by the UAE, another partner of the Washington. Riyadh and the Abu Dhabi may reconcile their objectives in strengthening their economic connections with Beijing with their contacts with the Washington by becoming members of the BRICS.
The admission of the couple would hardly indicate an anti-Western stance. It doesn’t imply that they have turned against the Western powers. Instead, it shows how distrustful these Western partners have grown and how strongly they feel that the West no longer cares about their security and concerns.
The United States has been outspoken about reducing its influence in the area. The policy has further encouraged the Gulf superpowers to diversify their connections.
There is a perception that the search of new orders, groups, and partnerships has turned into an urgent economic and political requirement. This is mainly due to the fact that the United States no longer places a high priority on existing friends.
Washington has even had its ties with European allies strained due to Donald Trump‘s financial and security policies during his grip on US administration. The ties went even more tense after the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.
Russian invasion against Ukraine has been the final blow over the EU bloc’s ties with Washington. The US introduced a one-sided approach to the new war, ignoring the interest and security of the partners in the green continent. The process resulted in a new face for the United States across the world; untrustworthy, self-centered, and decaying.
