The Global South, the BRICS+ Summit and Palestine
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The potential power of a united Global South was on full display at the United Nations in March 2022. Representatives of many countries that had experienced imperialist aggression at the hands of the U.S., France, Britain and other NATO members collectively denounced U.S. sanctions as acts of

While the sheer numbers are impressive, what stood out in particular was the passage of the Kazan Declaration on Oct. 23 by the BRICS countries. It included provisions denouncing Israel and calling for an immediate ceasefire of the “unprecedented escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as a result of the Israeli military offensive, which led to mass killings and injury of civilians, forced displacement and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.

“We stress the urgent need for an immediate, comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and detainees from both sides who are being illegally held captive and the unhindered, sustainable and at scale supply of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and cessation of all aggressive actions. We denounce the Israeli attacks against humanitarian operations, facilities, personnel and distribution points.”

With a political statement, the Kazan Declaration also addressed Israel’s escalation of the conflict into a regional war, with the “loss of civilian lives and the immense damage to civilian infrastructure resulting from attacks by Israel in residential areas in Lebanon and call for immediate cessation of military acts.”

The Declaration also called for comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, to more adequately respond to global challenges while supporting the aspirations of emerging and developing countries. It called for BRICS countries to play a greater rôle in international affairs, in particular in the U.N.

Beyond the Declaration, what will be the significance of the Kazan Summit?

BRICS is a contradictory formation. Prior to the summit, BRICS+ issued a historic report proposing the creation of new infrastructures to trade and transfer money using national currencies other than the U.S. dollar, further prompting the global call for de-dollarization.

On one hand, it is challenging the oligarchs of the West and will lead to their further isolation. On its own, BRICS will not change the class relations in these countries. Yet anything that further isolates the global [neo]imperialist camp, led by Washington, and undermines its use of the dollar as a weapon targeting countries the U.S. opposes, aids the struggle of nations oppressed by [neo]imperialism.