Who Are the Rising Powers?

Rising Powers: The BRICS

In this course, Dr Indrajit Roy (University of York) explores the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and their role as rising powers in the world today. In the first module, we think about what makes a country a rising power, and how the BRICS came to be seen as the most important rising powers. The second module considers the growing influence of the BRICS in the global order, and the underlying demographic and economic causes of this. In the third and fourth modules, we look at explanations for how the BRICS have become rising powers and what impacts they will have on the existing international system. The final module addresses the important question of whether the BRICS will fundamentally challenge the existing western-dominated world order.

Who Are the Rising Powers?

In this module, we think about who the rising powers are, with particular emphasis on the BRICS. We focus on: (i) the main criterion for establishing a country as a rising power – that it challenges existing dominant powers in the global order; (ii) the emergence of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as the most important rising powers; (iii) the broader concept of rising powers, and other countries who have been seen as fitting within it, such as the Asian Tigers in the 1980s; (iv) why the rise of the BRICS is important, in terms of the challenge it poses to western dominance.