Shaping the BRICS Agenda: Navigating Global Issues and National Interests

The article is based on a study of the ‘thematic portfolios’ of five BRICS summit declarations from 2019 to 2023 – adopted in Brasília, Moscow, New Delhi, Beijing, and Johannesburg. A combination of quantitative and qualitative sentiment analysis enables the authors to identify common values that correspond to the so-called “BRICS spirit,” as well as country-specific interests. An analysis of the summit declarations reveals that the tone is predominantly neutral-to-positive across all agendas. Concurrently, the stances of the BRICS member countries on pivotal matters pertaining to global economic governance, security, science, and education are notably aligned. A qualitative content analysis of each declaration substantiates the assertion that each host country incorporates its own priority objectives into the final declaration, thereby conferring greater weight and visibility on the global stage. Consequently, there is a gradual expansion of the common agenda of BRICS. Special attention is paid to the African agenda in the declarations of the BRICS summits. Towards the end of the article, the specifics of the Kazan Declaration of 2024, which marked the beginning of a new stage in the development of BRICS, particularly with regard to the expansion of the association and the inclusion of new members, are briefly considered.