I'm anxious to see what outcome tariff threats will have on BRICS expansion.
I suspect it will add fuel to the fire.
If you take a look around you'll notice that democracies have been taking a hit - see Democracy Index.
The Democracy Index - it ranges from 0 to 10 with 10 being the most democratic.
- The data is from 2023.
- And because there is a subjective element, the colors may need to change a bit.
- But I think you get the drift.
BRICS has the uncanny ability to attract "porcupines" like the newly elected Indonesian strongman Prabowo Subianto.
This brings the official member count to ten - with many "partners" already added and more to come.
Saudi Arabia has been dragging its feet re. ascension.
And I suspect tensions between Turkey and Russia (over Syria) play a role in halting Turkey's membership - for now.
We might see new members added to the "full membership" roster.
But to remain viable, I suspect there will be pressure to limit the number of "steering" nations - to maintain cohesiveness.
They've said as much.
How they resolve these expansion issues will be interesting to watch.
