Will BRICS Break Western-Led Globalisation, Complement, or Just Complain?—Watching Ahead Through the Lens of Ownviewism

The expansion of BRICS has reinvigorated debates on the future of the global order. Will it dismantle Western-led globalization, create an alternative system, or serve as a complementary yet critical partner? This paper applies the lens of Ownviewism—a human-centered theoretical framework that classifies states into six camps based on historical consciousness, integration into globalization, and geopolitical behavior—to examine BRICS’ composition and potential. Drawing on relevant theories such as World-Systems Theory, Realism, and Constructivism, the analysis finds that BRICS’ multi-camp composition structurally limits its capacity for systemic rupture. While antagonistic members may seek to break Western dominance, integrated and half-integrated members are more likely to protect their economic interests, and marginalized members lack the capacity for transformative action. The study concludes that the greatest challenge to global governance reform is not BRICS’ diversity, but entrenched Western foreign policy designed to maintain the status quo.