PARIS - The BRICS are no longer able to make up for the poor
economy in the Western world. Their growth is slowing down, even
if it is still far ahead of Europe's. In geopolitical terms,
too, they cannot even partly take the place of a weakened West.
Economic power does not automatically translate into political
power and strategic influence. Political will and unity are
missing. The term BRIC was originally invented by Goldman Sachs
economist Jim O'Neil to describe the rising non-Western
economies Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and now including S
for South Africa. The BRICS have become an economic reality that
cannot be ignored. Today, their economies are five times that of
France, and in the future they will account for one third of
world wealth. But on the geopolitical side, their basic
differences and their competing interests will create
difficulties for them. Although the BRICS vote together 90% of
the time in the United Nations, they are not ready to form a
bloc, nor are they capable or willing to