BRICS 2024 Kazan Special Coverage

The BRICS 2024 summit kicked off as the big highlight of the week. There are an endless amount of things to be said from a variety of different analytical perspectives, but we’ll just mention a few of the salient points that stick out most for now.

Firstly, the obvious is simply the optics of the event. Russia and Putin were supposed to be ‘isolated’ and here they are hosting the world’s top leaders on a grand stage:

Note how even the simple optics of the event differ from the more ‘corporate structured’ UN, with its one-at-a-time tribune speech on stage meant to present the leadership of each country in a Western unitary model. The BRICS meeting on the other hand visually represents a roundtable of equals amongst all, which sends a powerful message for the future of global multipolarity and cooperation.

Compare:

Needless to say, Western yellow press was extremely bitter:

That’s not to mention it was chosen for a symbolic date, as Putin explains here, with the original founding UN Charter being signed on October 24, 1945:

It is clear the organizers of the BRICS summit foresee this pivotal time as being an epochal shift in the global world order similar in weight to that of the UN founding.

The story of this summit seemed to revolve more around precisely that: perceptions and symbolism as a powerful message in their own right, as opposed to overt actions. No real overt changes were taken on this summit, new members were not yet inducted nor a major “BRICS currency” change announced.

However, thirteen ‘partner countries’ were given such preliminary status as to prepare them for full membership in the future:

13 countries received the status of BRICS partner country. They are Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam.

BRICS partner country status is a mandatory step before full membership.

What is meant by simple optics? For example, BRICS has sent a message of strength and solidarity, as well as giving legitimacy to a variety of countries, issues, and leaders which do not get it on the Western-ruled world ‘stage’. The most notable example was Venezuela’s Maduro, who was afforded the full respect as a leader, Putin’s direct sanctioning of his legally-obtained and legitimate presidency, and even China’s imprimatur:

MADURO: "We are defending the same cause, the cause of a shared destiny for humanity."

XI JINPING: "We are iron friends. We always keep in touch.”

Maduro utilized this stage to launch into a withering tirade against the UN, which in itself was a sight to behold given that it for the first time showed the weight behind the BRICS ability to condemn Western institutions in a way not seen before at such a global level, since typically the West hosts and controls such events to their precise specifications:

The optics of the above alone seem to symbolize a new pole forming where sovereign countries not under the West’s vassalage now enjoy their own grand amphitheater. It’s in many ways a fracturing of the global order for a good purpose, despite Putin’s repeated statements that it was the West that forced this schism and that the BRICS are not fundamentally against the West but seek cooperation with everyone.

And speaking of the long-awaited BRICS payment system, there were some clues. Putin’s aide reportedly remarked:

The topic of a common BRICS currency was raised during the leaders’ conversation, but these are not issues for public discussion - Putin's Aide Ushakov

And veteran BRICS reporter Pepe Escobar has the most detailed write-up of the progress concerning the various BRICS financial projects.

The general gist is as follows:

A BRICS single currency: “Not being considered yet, this issue is not ripe yet.” De-dollarization, Putin stressed, is proceeding step by step: “We’re taking individual steps, one after another. As regards finance, we did not drop the dollar. The dollar is the universal currency. But it wasn’t us – we were banned and barred from [using] it. And now 95% of all the external trade of Russia is denominated in national currencies. They did it themselves with their own hands. They thought we would collapse.”

The challenge for a unified BRICS currency: That “requires thorough economic integration (…) Apart from high level of integration among BRICS members, the introduction of a single BRICS currency would involve comparable monetary quality and volume (…) Otherwise, we will face even bigger issues than those that occurred in the EU.” Putin recalled that when the euro was introduced in the EU, their economies were neither comparable nor equal.

But Pepe also has a new interview with Danny Haiphong where he goes into much clearer detail of precisely every single BRICS financial instrument and payment system currently under development, from BRICS Bridge, to BRICS Pay, an independent BRICS rating agency and insurance underwriting structure, etc.

A mockup of the BRICS Pay system—a SWIFT replacement—was even shown at the summit:

How it works, connecting the banks of member countries:

It’s uncertain if Pepe’s projections are overly optimistic as perhaps have been at times in the past, but here he states that various meetings on these systems will be held in the coming weeks for some major final approvals “four weeks from now”, presumably after the closed door sessions ironed out the wrinkles during the summit:

For those who may understandably be skeptical of the sometimes glacial pace of BRICS-related developments, there were a couple interestingly demonstrative moments.

Putin himself appeared to directly address BRICS Development Bank (NDB) chairman Dilma Rousseff in very politely saying “let’s speed things up” by noting that the longer these transitions to a multipolar model take, the more dangers it poses, and the longer the global south has to live in slavery to the Western financial system:

On top of that, Putin further appeared to mock or tease Russian Central Bank head Elvira Nabiullina with another mockup copy of the BRICS dollar:

What do you think the central banker’s reaction was to seeing the replacement to her beloved reserve currency?

Can you feel the winds of change yet?

Pepe does state he believes we won’t truly see most of these currency changes until about 2030. I agree but time is moving very fast right now if you’ve noticed, and with global events developing the way they are, we’ll be there quicker than we think.

A last snippet from Pepe’s interview wherein he explains that the BRICS member candidate list will likely soon swell to most of the world’s countries. But the most important aspect is his explanation for why the pace sometimes appears slow, because managing such an unprecedented expansion of a new global system not seen since 1945 is an incredibly complex and difficult undertaking. This is particularly the case, as Pepe notes, because unlike the US-led United Nations, and other Western organs like the G7, the BRICS is foundationally designed to take everyone’s interests into account rather than being solely one hegemon’s private bully pulpit and centrally planned authority in one:

A few other quick moments of note from the summit.

For those who continue to think BRICS may be just empty promises, there are concrete measures already being taken or planned like a BRICS grain exchange announced by Putin here, which “will promote fair and predictable price indicators for products and raw materials”. This grain exchange will later be turned into a general product exchange, which is a precursor to getting an inter-BRICS currency system to eventually work and replace the dollar.

Putin was also asked about Trump’s claim that he once told Putin he would strike Moscow if Putin invaded Ukraine. Putin replied that this is merely the effect of election season and that such statements should not be taken seriously.

He then gave a dressing down to BBC’s chief pest Steve Rosenberg:

Iran too was given a renewed legitimacy and dignity on the world stage, particularly as new president Masoud Pezeshkian was visiting Russia for the first time:

How about this, Aliyev and Pashinyan’s heart to heart on the sidelines:

Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations on the sidelines of the BRICS summit are in full swing.

➡️ LOOK AT THIS! Two enemies talk to each other like adults!

India and China came closer, now Armenia and Azerbaijan … BRICS brings diplomacy.

And can you guess how Western press covered the BRICS summit? Firstly there was these sour grapes from CNN—bless whoever put the ‘coping and seething’ Copacabana knockoff over the end of the video:

So much for being isolated.

Of course the most talked about moment came when Putin was asked about the satellite photos of North Korean troops training in Russia. Putin quipped that photos are serious things, and whatever they show should be noted.

He makes mention of the fact that the Duma just ratified the strategic partnership with North Korea yesterday. From the official site:

http://duma.gov.ru/news/60239/

Putin gives a hint in the video that it is NATO and the West that escalates things in Ukraine. He seems to be implying that the North Korean troops could be Russia’s symmetrical red line response to the West’s provocations, particularly of sending foreign mercenaries into Russia’s Kursk. And by the way, Russia is said to be close to reaching a similar ‘strategic partnership’ agreement with Iran as well—what could that mean for Israel?

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko clarified the situation, with a riveting statement that this agreement raises Russia and North Korea’s partnership to the status of alliance which provides for military assistance in times of aggression against either side:

If Russia or the DPRK find themselves in a state of war, the clause on assistance in the event of an attack in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty will be put into effect, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told Zvezda.

“The agreement raises the relations between the Russian Federation and the DPRK to the level of an alliance, is of a framework nature, and covers all areas of our interaction,” Rudenko said, answering a question from our correspondent Andrei Lazarev.

The agreement is being concluded due to the increasing presence of US armed forces in the Northeast Asian region and the strengthening of military alliances, the source noted.

Here’s the full longer answer by Putin wherein he goes into further detail of just how involved NATO is in the war:

The full version above is worth listening to. Toward the end, Putin seems to imply—to the contrary—that Article 4 has not yet been implemented with Korea and as such the so-called troops may be some kind of fib or smokescreen. This brings up several important possibilities of the new DPRK autumn moral panic:

1. North Korean troops have been sent to train in eastern Russia for the express purpose of rattling the West and sending them a message, but have no intention of actually fighting on the front line in any capacity.

2. North Korean troops will in fact provide limited rear capabilities support somewhere near the front in order to gain experience and strengthen the partnership with Russia.

3. North Korean troops actually intend to engage in full blown frontline combat to send a chilling message down NATO’s spine that Russia has had enough and will now be responding symmetrically and asymmetrically to all provocations.

One note first before I elaborate on the latter point. All the North Korean ‘panic’ stories from the Western press mill suggested it was a big ‘top secret’ operation with only ‘clever’ Western satellite intel able to bust Putin’s putative smuggling of the DPRK troops under the cover of night. On the other hand, a huge contradiction in the narrative: a stream of videos taken openly by Russian troops in full view of their commanders has emerged that purport to show DPRK troops in eastern Russian bases. If it was a big top secret operation like they pretend, then why are the troops openly being filmed?

Just witness the West’s narrative line:

Now observe how the supposed North Koreans are filmed in the open by Russian troops, allegedly in a Sergeevka garrison of the 127th Motor Rifle Division, 5th Army:

If they were being clandestinely given Buryat passports to cloak the fact they’re North Koreans, why would they be allowed to be filmed in full view of staff officers in this barracks and elsewhere—does that make sense?

“According to Mr Budanov, a contingent of 2,600 [North Korean troops] is due to be transferred to battle in the Russian region of Kursk by the end of October… A senior Ukrainian official says Russia’s next objective might be an advance on the city of Zaporizhia... The same source suggests that Russia may have already taken back as much as half of the territory that Ukraine seized in the Kursk region in August 2024”

As I said, it could be a kind of psyop by Putin to give the West a bit of a jolt while merely engaging in some harmless training with the Koreans. Or it could be part of a major new operation, though this is admittedly less likely.

Recall that last time I reported how some sources claim something ‘big’ will heat up on the front in November.

Other sources say Russia is moving major reinforcements near the contact lines around Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and potentially elsewhere. Budanov above claimed that the Koreans are being sent to Kursk by the “end of October”. Those who’ve read my last paywalled article know Western sources claimed three new Russian armies would be ready for battle by ‘end of October by the latest’—the 25th, 40th, and 44th.

So, my proposed hypothesis: Putin could send the DPRK troops to Kursk to relieve Russian forces—even if it’s more rear-oriented forces—for a major new offensive push elsewhere all over the main lines. Admittedly the idea is a more than a bit silly and improbable on the face of it, but at the same time Putin could seek to send a major message to the West that where Western mercenaries go, now the united front of the multipolar armies will go to meet them—a message of deterrence to the West.

This is particularly the case that after native Ukrainian troops were exterminated in Kursk, there are recent reports of a massive flood of Western—particularly South American—mercenaries flooding the Russian region.

Brand new footage from Kursk (update: turns out it’s Chasov Yar, but I’ll leave it up as general evidence of mercenary usage):

After all, haloed in his unrivaled new prestige of the BRICS tribuneship Putin adopted a much more defiant mien, at one point telling the West it’s useless to threaten Russia because “it only encourages us.”

For their part, Russian troops have already begun teasing the AFU by posting North Korean flags over their positions, here in Tsukirino and elsewhere:

Meanwhile, the West as always:

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Overall, the key takeaway from the BRICS summit can be the following. Look closely at some of the scenes presented: India and China after having just negotiated a settlement to their border conflict, Armenia and Azerbaijan hashing out their disputes, other “ostracized” members of the world community being greeted with open arms, no leering judgmental supremacism, condescending sermonizing and pompous pontificating like so often seen by the West at their global institutions, from the EU to the UN, etc.

The BRICS’ strongest achievement is sending a message of acceptance, compromise, openness, civility, and cooperation—the true definition of anti-illiberal qualities, the same the West so adamantly claims it champions. There was a kind of contagious energy that was palpable in the air: an alternate vision for a world led by sovereign grownups, not the small-minded, nervous little elitist compradors and pushy apparatchiks, the likes seen dotting the halls of the West’s equivalent institutions. In short, a breath of fresh air and maturity. This to me is the strongest message the BRICS sends. Even despite not achieving any major concrete advancements quite yet, it still was a symbolically significant set of optics for the entire developing world and global south to witness, which will only flower in the years to come as the wane of the West sets in.

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