By Qamar Bashir
The BRICS 2025 Summit in Rio de Janeiro was far more than a diplomatic gathering—it was a geopolitical turning point, a moment of collective reckoning for the Global South, and a direct response to America’s unilateralism, Israel’s unchecked militarism, and the unraveling of the Western world order. Timed strategically after Israel’s devastating strikes on Iran and Gaza—and following Trump’s belligerent declaration of a 10% tariff on all nations defying U.S. trade terms—the summit sent a unified message: the world is moving on.
At the heart of this message was the BRICS Declaration, a bold articulation of resistance against militarized foreign policy, economic coercion, and the abuse of reserve currency power. What made this summit unprecedented was not only the clarity with which BRICS condemned the U.S.-Israel axis for its blatant violation of international law, but the practical measures agreed upon to structurally decouple from American economic domination.
The centerpiece of this structural shift was the long-anticipated move to establish a common BRICS trading currency. For the first time, member countries agreed to denominate a growing share of their trade and investment flows in a non-dollar-based, BRICS-aligned digital settlement system. This decision was not symbolic. It came in the wake of China offloading over $100 billion in U.S. Treasury securities over the past five years, and redirecting its reserves into strategic real assets—gold, rare earth minerals, agricultural land, and energy infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The message is clear: the dollar is no longer sacred.
As BRICS economies deepen their interdependence—through trade agreements, digital fiber-optic corridors, satellite connectivity, and synchronized financial systems—they are preparing for a post-dollar world.
This isn’t simply de-dollarization; it’s sovereign emancipation. When you control the currency, you control the terms of global commerce. The United States used this leverage for decades. Now BRICS is building an alternative.
This redirection is also political. The United States and Israel’s unprovoked bombing of Iran on June 13—which killed 935 Iranians, including key military and scientific leaders—and the follow-up U.S. strikes on June 21 using bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities, were condemned as “a blatant breach of international law” by the BRICS bloc. Iran’s response—precision missile and drone retaliation—was followed by a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. But the BRICS statement didn’t forget. It squarely placed moral and legal blame where it belonged: on Washington and Tel Aviv.
The silence of international institutions was deafening. The United Nations failed to respond decisively. Western media framed the strikes as “pre-emptive” rather than illegal. In contrast, BRICS voiced its unequivocal support for Iranian sovereignty, for Syria’s territorial integrity, and for the universal application of international law.
But nowhere was the moral clarity sharper than in BRICS’ position on Gaza. The 21-month Israeli assault on the enclave—killing over 57,000 Palestinians, 70% of them women and children, and turning Gaza into what human rights experts describe as a “concentration camp”—was denounced in the strongest terms. The BRICS Declaration rejected the weaponization of starvation, the politicization of aid, and the targeting of civilians at food distribution points. It called for full recognition of Palestinian statehood, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and endorsed the work of UNRWA, which has been banned by Israel.
Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff regime continues to destabilize the global economy. Under the guise of “America First,” the U.S. administration has weaponized trade to punish dissent. The new 10% blanket tariff on BRICS-aligned nations—threatened on Trump’s Truth Social account—was met with a chilling counter-move: BRICS pledged to increase internal trade, insulate their economies from the dollar, and systematically bypass the SWIFT system.
This isn’t theory. It’s happening.
Already, BRICS accounts for over 36% of global GDP (PPP-adjusted) and 47% of the world’s population. With the addition of new members like Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, and the UAE, the bloc has transformed into a dynamic political-economic alliance representing the true Global Majority. While G7 economies grow at an average of 1.6%, BRICS is projected to grow at 3.4% in 2025, according to the IMF.
China, India, and Brazil are already among the world’s top 10 largest economies. Collectively, BRICS holds more foreign reserves than the G7, and controls over 60% of critical minerals essential for green technologies. This isn’t a coalition that can be isolated. It’s a rising pole.
What’s even more striking is the shift in reconstruction politics. Traditionally, the U.S. model was destruction followed by controlled reconstruction—destroy Iraq, then rebuild it with Halliburton; bomb Libya, then claim oil concessions. That era is waning. Today, countries like Saudi Arabia are investing in Syria not to exploit, but to stabilize. BRICS nations are financing development without political strings. They are demonstrating that you can rebuild without colonizing.
The declaration also emphasized connectivity—fiber optic corridors, digital bridges, and space-linked infrastructure. This is the technological backbone of BRICS integration. By reducing dependency on U.S.-controlled systems—satellites, networks, and payment rails—BRICS is building a self-sufficient parallel world order.
Yet amid all this, Washington remains curiously sluggish. The American political elite appears insulated, unaware of the tectonic shifts underway. The majority of U.S. foreign-held debt is owned by BRICS countries and their allies. Should they convert their dollar reserves into real assets or non-dollar trade systems, the American financial system—based on printing and demand—will face a reckoning.
Let us be clear: no one wants America to fall. The United States is a land of unmatched creativity, innovation, and potential. Its people deserve prosperity and peace. But if it continues to rely on coercion instead of cooperation, on threats instead of treaties, and on tariffs instead of trust—it will lose not just influence, but respect.
It is still within America’s power to pivot. To abandon the zero-sum mindset. To embrace multilateralism, dignity, and mutual prosperity. But the clock is ticking.
In the current geopolitical realignment, BRICS is now the most populous, the most resource-rich, and arguably the most forward-thinking bloc on Earth. It cannot be sidelined. It must be engaged—seriously, and respectfully.
Trump’s trade war is not just economically reckless—it is strategically self-defeating. By attempting to isolate BRICS, he may be accelerating its consolidation into the very superpower bloc he fears.
The 2025 BRICS Summit was not just another declaration. It was a declaration of independence from the unipolar world. A call for a new equilibrium based on equality, sovereignty, and shared humanity.
The question is: will Washington listen, or will history leave it behind?
By Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister, Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former MD, SRBC | Macomb, Michigan, USA
