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Iran war stress tests Brics+ cohesion and exposes member rival interests
The conflict involved both a Brics+ member state, Iran as a target, and another member, the UAE, which faced Iranian strikes, highlighting how national interests can override bloc unity.
South China Morning Post argues that the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran acted as a stress test for the expanded Brics, often branded as a Global South political platform, and a step toward a multipolar order.
According to SCMP Economy, the war underscored that Brics+ is not a military alliance or an ideological bloc, but a flexible coalition of states whose shared dissatisfaction with Western dominance coexists with very different national priorities.
The outlet said the crisis highlighted a key contradiction: Iran was a target of the campaign, while the United Arab Emirates, counted among Brics+ participants, experienced Iranian strikes on its territory, prompting criticism that the group failed its first major geopolitical test.
However, SCMP Economy contends that judging Brics+ using Western alliance-style assumptions misses its stated purpose, noting the grouping’s appeal lies in selectively accommodating diversity while allowing members independent room to manoeuvre when sovereignty and interests are at stake.