O Mil Deus! as they say in Portuguese here in Forteleza. Oh my God! Yes, these may be 'baby steps' but what prime minister Modi will try to do is shake up the world system. It's a long journey ahead, but the dream is as big as big can be. Whether Modi can achieve it depends on a billion-plus fellow Indians and our friends in BRICS nations who constitute 40% of the world's population.
The US and Europe watch with certain fear and sufficient, and perhaps justified, cynicism at this 'ragtag group' which right now looks like a heap of bricks rather than the fortress that BRICS nations hope to finally build.
Prime minister Modi heads a nation known for a syncretic approach to world powers. President Xi Jinping's China holds the US economy by the scruff of its neck and the US can do little about the lopsided balance of trade. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been the US and Europe's pet hate for years. Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa, hopes to lead Africa in the new power equation. Will the US, the lone superpower in the world, allow these 'upstarts' to 'blitzkrieg' the economic system. Do these BRICS have the guts to challenge the present world system? Neither is possible or desirable right now. What is needed is a 'more just system'.
In mid-twentieth century, the Bretton Woods system in the US and Europe set a new financial and economic system. The Mighty British Pound caved in, and on 15 August 1971, Nixon delivered a shock and the United States unilaterally terminated convertibility of the US dollar to gold. For decades, the US followed by Europe have had an iron grip on the nuts and bolts of the world economic, military and strategic system. BRICS's own bank, if it finally takes shape, will be a small leap but whether over decades it shall prove to be a giant leap will depend on a few statesmen backed by billions in their nations. These include the people who have been denied their rights under the Sun.
So all eyes on Forteleza, the picturesque Brazilian port city where Modi-Jinping-Putin-Dilma-Zuma combine will dare to dream. Whether together they can bridge the geographic divide, cross the language barrier, combat divisive forces, rise above individual interests and forge a genuine alliance is a question on which hinges the future of the world.
The first indicator of whether they have taken the initial steps towards achieving this dream will need a careful reading between the lines of the Forteleza Declaration expected at the end of the BRICS Summit.
Akash Soni is an associate editor and anchor with Zee Media. He is reporting from Forteleza, venue of the Sixth BRICS Summit in Brazil.
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