The fifth BRICS Summit (Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa) of five nations was concluded in Durban,
South Africa yesterday on a cordial note. The Summit lasted for two days – from
26 March to 27 March. Dilma Rousuff, Brazilian President, Vladimir Putin,
Russian President, ManMohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, Xi-Jinping, Chinese
President and Jacob Zuma South African President representing five nations
respectively deliberated upon many important issues and the most important
among them was the establishment of a BRICS development bank with the intention
of catering to the needs of these five nations at a moment IMF (International
Monetary Fund) and World Bank (International Bank for Rural Development)
situated at Washington – remember, a comity of Western countries – go backwards
in their promises and responsibilities of partially neglecting the five
emerging developing countries, a comity of non-Western countries. To set up a
bank for the development of BRICS countries was very much on the agenda even
before this summit but it came up for serious discussions and deliberations in the just concluded summit. However it has not yet developed into
a concrete form even in this summit. Anyhow, the summit leaders made it into a
certainty and it is almost obvious that the BRICS bank would be formed in the
near future itself. Furthermore, a
Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) was decided to be set up soon so as to
enable the member countries avail themselves of it whenever they or either of
them need it badly for the primary purpose of infrastructure development and
for which, US $ 100 Billion has been earmarked. The Summit leaders collectively
demanded the restructuring of IMF and World Bank in the changed world economic
order in order to have more say in the running of these two institutions as
they are incidentally under the control of European Union and US. Now that,
these emerging developing countries (BRICS) are on a fast growth track, it is
worthwhile to recall here the simple truth that 40 percent of world population
constitutes the BRICS countries. Moreover with the passage of each day the
BRICS countries are in a position to asserting themselves as a result of high
growth trajectory, they can very well stand on their feet and engage in
bargaining for more powers in the running of financial institutions like IMF
and World Bank. These leaders are supposed to meet again in St.Petersburg on
the sidelines of G20 Summit scheduled to be held within a few months from now.
Apart from financial matters, the
leaders touched upon the nuclear enrichment programme engaged in by Iran and
took the opportunity to point out that only thru negotiations could a solution
be found rather than slapping punitive measures. Simmering Syria also came up
for hot discussions and the leaders deliberated on taking suitable measures to
find a way out to bring the bloodshed going on for the last two years without
break between govt forces led by Dr.Bashar Al Assad and Free Syrian Army led by
rebels in which claimed the lives of approximately one lakh people and millions
displaced and as much disappeared. As an emerging force, BRICS could do a lot
to bring the two warring factions across the table and arrive at an amicable
settlement to the satisfaction of both factions. BRICS nations’ stand that the
Arab league and NATO forces plan to militarily intervene in Syria which won’t
contribute to permanent peace, rather it would help in aggravating the already
burning situation across that country. Since BRICS countries do have an
independent stand the Arab League and NATO led by US and European nations will
not be able to ignore the suggestions of BRICS countries which have emerged as
a force to reckon with. Whole world is
looking for collective of peace-loving nations to play a mediatory role with
like-minded mediators to sort out a formula which could bring the turmoil under
control and gradually contribute their mite to bring the situation into
normality. Otherwise, the Civil war in Syria is feared to go on for years which
will result only in the brutal death of millions and heavy destruction of
properties.
Another contentious issue
threatening the peace is the volatile situation is Afghanistan where Taliban is
on a murder and destruction spree since more than one decade. US, in the wake
of the bombarding of twin towers of World Trade Centre in 2001 bombarded
Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban regime from power with the sole aim of
fishing out Osama Bin Laden, the all in all of Al-Quaeda then , ie. ‘dead or
alive’ who was suspected to be the mastermind behind the 11/9 WTC bombardment
reducing it into a heap of rubble which made a mess of that nation. After ten
years of war, Osama Bin Laden was fished out and murdered by a drone attack as
a result of somebody tipping the American leaders that he was safely enconsced
in the garrison town of Abottabad, Pakistan with his three wives and children.
With the citizens of US, losing
their patience protesting against the prolonged war US President Barack Obama
announced his decision that US forces were about to withdraw from
Afghanistan by the end of 2014. After
the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, that nation is once
again poised to plunge into anarchy with the dreaded Taliban militants in all
probability gaining power and dark ages are once again supposed to return, if
peace-loving countries like BRICS especially
India were to take determined steps at the earliest.
Another topic which came up for hot
discussion was international terrorism from which no country is free. The
sooner this menace were to be wiped off
the better, the summit noted if and when the nuclear weapons were to be
possessed by this hydra called terrorism the dire consequences are beyond the
imagination of mankind. Climate change and Global warming too were there on the
agenda and all countries representing BRICS especially China which is the
single largest emitter of green house gas, the aftermaths are terrible. BRICS
leaders discussed the issue in detail and with all seriousness the ways and
means to bring the grim situation under control.
Though the term BRICS was coined by
the John O’ Neil of Goldman Sachs who could foresee the emerging developing
countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa coming together, the
formation as predicted by him was a milestone in the international arena.
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