ABSTRACT
Global politics are said to be changing fundamentally. After the end of the Cold War and a brief subsequent period of United States (US) unilateralism, a multipolar world order in the (re)making is being imagined, in particular since the rise in the real, or perceived, importance of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (the BRICs), and that of other so-called emerging countries. This chapter presents the discourse that has helped the BRICs to come into existence in the first place. It focuses on the substance and practices of the BRICs in global politics since their official formation in 2009, and becoming the BRICS in 2010 with the addition of South Africa. The chapter briefly looks at other newly emerging groups beyond the BRICS. Finally, and very close to the BRICS, there is the India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum, comprising India, Brazil, and South Africa.
