International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Multipolarity in Practice: Assessing BRICS Expansion and the Shift in Global Power Structures

This paper will explore what BRICS expansion means to the changing balance of global power and the shift to multipolarity. Based on a mixed-method approach, which is a combination of quantitative analysis of economic factors and their effects on the international system and qualitative assessment of institutional and geopolitical processes, the paper will examine whether the expansion of BRICS can be considered a substantive change in the international system. The results show that BRICS has been successful in increasing its global relevance and more so in the economic weight, trade integration and energy geopolitics. The incorporation of key energy producing and strategic located nations has enhanced the ability of the bloc to impact the global markets and regional dynamics. Nonetheless, even with these gains, BRICS is still limited by internal diversity, economic asymmetry and limited institutional depth, which limits its functioning as a cohesive alternative to Western-led global institutions. As you have empirically analysed and discussed in your paper, multipolarity can best be regarded as an emergent yet transitional state and not a fully established world order. The paper finds that the current BRICS expansion is a factor contributing to the redistribution of power but is not yet a consolidated counter-hegemonic system.