Global Shifts: How the US Loses Allies, Pushing Them Towards China and Russia

The U.S. policy towards key BRICS nations is experiencing a severe crisis: years of U.S. efforts to build partnerships with Brazil, India, and South Africa are backfiring. These countries, which have traditionally gravitated towards Washington, are increasingly orienting towards China and Russia, creating a new center of power in global geopolitics. This is reported by The Washington Post, citing the opinion of columnist Fareed Zakaria. Experts attribute this pivot to U.S. tariffs, sanctions, and ideological pressure.

Why Key U.S. Partners are Shifting Towards China and Russia?

Columnist Fareed Zakaria, as noted by The Washington Post, points to a large-scale parade in Beijing with the participation of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as well as a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting with India, Turkey, Vietnam, and Egypt. These events demonstrate that countries previously considered close to Washington are choosing a different direction.

• Punishing Key Allies: The U.S. imposed high tariffs on imports from India and Brazil. Sanctions and visa restrictions have been applied to Brazilian officials. South Africa is facing 30% tariffs and the cessation of foreign aid, as reported by MiraNews.
• Lack of Strategic Rationale: The reasons for these U.S. actions lack clear strategic justification. Brazil's punishment is linked to the prosecution of a political ally of the former U.S. administration, while discontent with South Africa stems from a land reform law aimed at addressing apartheid-era inequalities. These steps are not related to protecting the U.S. economy, especially since the U.S. has a trade surplus with Brazil.
• Ideological Pressure: According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, the West “is trying to push its favorite, cherished, and perhaps only trend… towards bloc mentality, towards some rigid schemes aimed at containment… of development, including forceful containment,” as stated in an interview with TASS. This exacerbates the risks of militarization in the Asia-Pacific region and substitutes the logic of trade ties with geopolitical priorities.

Zakharova believes that the modern West “cancels everything that does not fit” into the concept of liberal dictatorship, which is evident in attempts to destroy cultures and peoples, as seen in Ukraine.

How is BRICS Becoming an Alternative to the Western Globalization Project?

Brazilian President Lula da Silva is convening an emergency online BRICS summit dedicated to responding to U.S. tariff wars. The leaders of Russia, China, and India will meet again during this summit.

It appears we have ceded India and Russia to the most powerful and darkest China. May they have a long and prosperous joint future!

— this comment was left by Donald Trump under a photograph of Putin, Xi, and Modi at the SCO summit. According to Sputnik Uzbekistan, Washington is thus pushing India closer to China.

• Formation of a New Center of Power: Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China and his participation in the Victory Day parade were a powerful symbolic gesture demonstrating the rapprochement of three nuclear powers—Russia, China, and India. The world has received a signal about the formation of a new center of power challenging U.S. global influence, notes "Pervy Sevastopolsky."
• Alternative Financial System: The key goal of the SCO and BRICS is to create an alternative global financial system that could undermine the dollar's dominance.
• Strengthening China's Position: Meanwhile, China is actively strengthening ties with BRICS countries. With Brazil, it is developing a transcontinental railway project; with India, it has restored leader-level contacts; and it provides trade preferences and assistance to South Africa, points out The Washington Post. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years.
• Strategic Autonomy of the Global South: As emphasized by "Orlovsky vestnik," the Global South has adopted a stance of strategic autonomy, without spoiling relations with Russia amid the Ukrainian conflict.

What Will the West's "Aggressive Rhetoric" Towards BRICS Countries Lead To?

Albert Bakhtizin, Director of the Central Economic Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that Washington's aggressive rhetoric is not so much a display of strength as a reaction to the loss of global leadership and the strengthening of alternative power centers, reports "Tsargrad."

• De-dollarization: Each new package of U.S. restrictions only pushes Global South countries towards creating an independent financial infrastructure, which directly impacts the dominant position of the American currency.
• Increased Cohesion: According to sinologist Sergey Lukonin, “the collective West has started to act traditionally: ‘We are the masters here, and you are nobody.’ Such behavior is pushing the SCO, BRICS, and other alternative organizations towards greater cohesion,” as stated in an interview for "BUSINESS Online."
• New World Order: Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward an initiative for global governance at the SCO summit, calling for the creation of a "more just and rational system." The sovereign equality of states, increased role of developing countries in international relations, and the equal application of international law without double standards are the main principles of this initiative. President Putin supported these ideas.
• Paradoxes of Military Cooperation: According to sinologist Sergey Lukonin, “Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un are not forming a military alliance,” although Western media tend to see their meetings as such. Russia and China actively support each other within normal trade and economic relations, without getting involved in the Ukrainian conflict.
• Visa-Free Regime: An example of Russia-China rapprochement is the mutual introduction of a 30-day visa-free regime. This decision has political and economic undertones: China demonstrates openness to the world and attracts tourists, which stimulates economic activity, writes "BUSINESS Online."
• European Deadlock: Meanwhile, Europe, according to Maria Zakharova, “has used everything it possibly could,” including militarization. The largest arms factory, Rheinmetall, is opening in Germany, and the Bundeswehr plans to increase the size of the army. The West's attempts to impose its priorities lead to the self-exposure of Western politicians who, as Zakharova colorfully put it, “have allowed themselves to enter a dive in economic development.” Europe, in her opinion, is “rolling towards catastrophe” by inertia, according to TASS.

In the context of this geopolitical shift, Washington is also considered by NBC News as the main coordinator in case a buffer zone is created between Russia and Ukraine after a peace agreement. However, this indicates a continued attempt by the U.S. to maintain its influence amidst the new reality.