Introduction:
The world power structure is changing, and the new block, BRICS, is emerging from the third world and entering into power competition. BRICS comprises Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa. BRICS is an emerging power, and it belongs to the third world. These emerging powers took many long time from First World countries. These countries are mostly developing economies, and they represent Asia, Africa and Latin America. However, all the BRICS countries are not as advanced as equal to the first world in the field of technology and other elements of power, such as military power.
BRICS are emerging power states but not as powerful as compared to the nations of the first world like the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Germany etc (Kahn, 2011). These have a high growth rate but have ha low GDP rate, less technological development and a strong media influence over the world. In this era of communication media is considered as the fifth organ of the state and now media is influencing and power deciding factor. Media plays a vital role in the emergence of significant power. The first world has a strong media network like BBC and CNN.
The United States of America has a Strong media network, and this plays an essential role in American supremacy. Media plays a vital role in the hegemony of the United States of America. CNN and Fox News have a vast media network and have the power to change the system. It is an era of psychological warfare in this era of media as an essential element of power (Li, 2017). Media is a necessary tool of psychological warfare and its play a vital role in the power structure.
If you have economic and military power, it is the primary element of the power all the major powers have powerful military forces and economies. In this era, communication, along with this initial element of power you have a media, will help to maintain your hegemony. Media plays a vital role in changes the minds of people, and when you have control over the minds of people, it is easy for you to rule over them (Li, 2017).
In the field of military warfare or economic warfare, media plays an active role. Propaganda is an essential tool of war in contemporary world media is one of the best tools to make propaganda. Propaganda use in before the technological as well as in modern world propaganda is an essential tool of war. Propaganda also plays a vital role in world war first and world war two. During war two Nazis Hitler has a propaganda minister. Who is the most trusted person of Hitler? His main work is to make propaganda. Propaganda use for two primary purposes. One is to upgrade the moral of own peoples and army. Second, the propaganda is for to demoralise the peoples of the opponent and the military of the opponent. When you discourage the other, it will help to win a war. In Second World War Radio use an essential tool of propaganda, and it will play a very productive role in Second World War.
After World War two, the world power structure changed, and world power changed from multipolar to Bipolar and the United States and USSR emerged as a world superpower. And after the end of world war two when USSR and United States of America emerge as a superpower the era of cold war started between two superpowers of the world. The Cold War, 1945 to 1990, was an era of cold war. During this period these two superpowers cannot confront directly, they use different front like Vietnam for the testing of their power capacity and increase the area of influence over the globe. The Cold War is the highest stage of propaganda. At this time, propaganda played an essential role in the war.
In 1990 at the disintegration of the USSR, the Cold War ended. World power structure is a change from bipolar to the Uni-polar world and the United States of America emerge as a sole superpower of the world.
From 1990 to on word United States of America is the sole superpower and the now another block is emerging to change the world power structure. The phenomenon of BRICS appears after the 2009 (Xing, 2016). In starting BRICs, including four members, Brazil, China, India, Russia only and South Africa are not considered in the BRICs. South Africa joins BRICs in 2010 and first annual meeting of BRICS nation held in 2009.
All the BRICS have a large population and economies, three of BRICS member’s states have a strong military force but two of them not a strong in a military perspective.
BRICS Member States Potential And Their Relations:
BRICS comprises Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa all the BRICS members are not enjoying good relationships with each other. For example, China and India are not experiencing good relations.
In the BRICS member states, Russia and China are enjoying good cordial relations. During the 1950s there are border issues between Russia and China and the fought a war on the border issue. Both China and Russia are two primary members of BRICS, and also founder member states of SCO (Shanghai cooperation organisation) and China is a most significant economic power of the BRICS member states and Russia is leading military power and former superpower. China and Russia also share a long common border (Kahn, 2011).
China and India are two neighboring states and members of BRICS and SCO. These two states had border clashes, and they fought a full-fledged war on the border issue in 1962 on Tibet issue. They have border issues and do not enjoy excellent and friendly relations (Xing, 2016).
China, India and Russia are three influential members of BRICS and have a common border. China and India have a large population and economic power. All these BRICS member states have powerful military forces and also a member of SCO.
Brazil is a BRICS member and, it is a Latin American state. Brazil has vast natural resources, and it also has regional supremacy and counters the role of the United States of America in the Latin American continent. Brazil is one of the emerging economies of the globe and the most significant economic power in Latin America (Chu, 2015). Brazil has an influential and dominant role in regional politics. Brazil is an economic and influential regional power. They do not have a strong army to challenge the position of the United States of America in the Latin American region. For the emerging power of Latin America, you have an economic as well as a reliable military power. Military superiority plays a vital role in regional as well as global politics.
South Africa is another member of BRICS that joined BRICS in 2010. South Africa is from the African continent, which is one of the poorest continents of this globe. South Africa is an emerging economy but has a weak military force. We know that along with economic power, military power plays an important role. When you have the strong economic power you do not poses the powerful military you cannot win a battlefield. Military superiority is a deciding factor in the battle field. Along with the economy, you have a need for a dominant military for regional supremacy (Chu, 2015).
The BRICS states is an emerging economy, and they represent almost 42% population of the world. In the BRICS member states, China and India are more populous countries. The five BRICS nations are only 22% of the global GDP. The BRICS nation is far behind the developing world. The per capita income of BRICS is low as compared to the first world developed states. The BRICS states are not comparable to the first world; the first world countries are highly advanced in all fields of life.
The first world has a high per capita, low poverty rate and low unemployment rate. BRICS member state India has a high poverty rate and also a high unemployment rate. The BRICS member states have a low literacy rate. These states take more time to get a living standard equal to the first-world states.
The BRICS member states are more focused on their material and military development. These states have less emphasis on other societal needs that are given by the first-world developed countries. In the first world, there is a low death rate, the first-world states are more advanced in the health sector, and they have substantial scientific development in the field of health (Stephen, 2014). The health condition of BRICS states is poor as compare the first world.
BRICS states are behind the single first world country in many fields, including the military. The total defence budget United States of America is higher than the total defence budget of BRICS states. The United States is also advanced in defense technology (Kiely, 2015).
There is a massive gap between the United States of America and five BRICS member states (Stephen, 2014). There is a close competition between United States of America and China in the field of over economy, but in the economic development, United States of America is highly advanced as China and all other BRICS member states. There is near competition between Russia and the United States of America, but America is also on the upper edge, including the defense sector. The single United States of America is more developed in every of the BRICS member states (Kiely, 2015).
The combine BRICS population is 42.8 percent of the whole globe and United States of America is minimum population as compare to BRICS they only contribute 3 percent in the entire people of the world. The total GDP of member’s states have only 22 percent share in the global GDP rate, and that is 37 trillion dollar, and the entire GDP of United States of America is 18 trillion dollar (Robinson, 2015). There is no comparison in the per capita of United States of America and the BRICS member states. The United States of America is world biggest donor he gave maximum funding to the United Nations.
The United States of America is more spent on any other state of this global. The United States of America’s total defense budget is more than the total budget of the combined BRICS states. United States of America spends more than 600 billion dollars on their defence while on the other the whole defence budget of BRICS member states is less 300 billion states. Of these 300 billion, 70 percent share is only two BRICS member states, China and India (Robinson, 2015). They are both on the list of most spending on defense after the United States. The United States of America is more advanced in defence sector both qualitatively and quantitatively as compare to BRICS.
No doubt, BRICS is an emerging power full block. And in future, the BRICS is more influential the development rate of BRICS states are 5 percent, and this rate in the United States of America is only two percent. The BRICS represent almost half of the world and from three continents: Asia, Africa and Latin America. The decisive point is these BRICS member states are rich in natural resources (Zeng et.al 2017).
Conclusion
BRICS is an emerging block and challenge the supremacy of the first world or developed states over the world. This block has potential and influential economies as well as also most of the members have powerful military forces. But this block also has faced many problems, such as a high rate of unemployment, a high percentage of poverty and a low per capita income. As compared to BRICS, first-world countries have a high per capita income, low poverty rate and low unemployment rate. BRICS member also has a minimum literacy rate as compared to the nations of the first world. The living standard of the first world is too high as compared to BRICS member states.
Many BRICS member states face problems of ethnicity and political systems. All the BRICS members state not having a democratic form of government. The BRICS member nations are not as advanced in the technological and scientific field as compared to first-world countries. The BRICS member states have a high GDP rate as Compare to the First World, but in overall performance, the BRICS member states are far behind from the first world and take time to get equal status as the first world has. The many criticisms that faced by the BRICS by the media when they compare BRICS with first world states. BRICS member states have more time to play an active role in the affairs of the world.
References
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Li, S., 2017. International Debate over China–Africa Media Engagements. In Mediatized China-Africa Relations (pp. 21-47). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
Robinson, W.I., 2015. The transnational state and the BRICS: A global capitalism perspective. Third World Quarterly, 36(1), pp.1-21.
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Zeng, S., Liu, Y., Liu, C. and Nan, X., 2017. A review of renewable energy investment in the BRICS countries: History, models, problems and solutions. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 74, pp.860-872.
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