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BRICS and BRI are Changing the World – The Geopolitics In Conflict Show

Hussein Askary, a strategic and economic analyst, is the Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden. He is also the Southwest Asia Coordinator for the International Schiller Institute. In this video, presented by the Geopolitics In Conflict Show, Askary discusses the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and how it relates to the global balance of power. The BRI is “a new global development model with an unprecedented scope and scale.” The goal of the BRI is to build a network of roads, railways, waterways, and other economic links between countries in Eurasia, Africa, and South Asia.

This video is 1:05:51 long, but it covers many salient points about how BRICS and BRI are changing the world vs. the Western narrative of “Democracy” vs. “Autocracy” and their “zero sum game” policies which are not being bought by the “global south”. Askary estimates that up to 150 countries are (or will be) participating in the BRIC and the BRI movement.

The following are the main points I gathered from Hussein Askary’s interview:

  • China has chosen a “win-win” vs. the West’s “zero sum game” strategy.
  • The west promotes “Liberal Democracy” as the world order; China has a policy of not interfering with other countries “Internal Politics“.
  • Initially, the BRI projects concentrated on building infrastructures for the under-developed countries and buying their natural resources.
  • BRI has moved on to a new phase of erecting factories and building industrial bases to enable these countries to utilize their natural resources.
  • Askary desputs the Western narrative that the the BRI initiative is a debt-trap and he explained why.
  • The world still trades with the dollar and the US has been able to capitalize on this advantage.
  • More and more countries are exploring alternatives to replace the dollar as a medium of international trade.
  • The BRICS and BRI initiatives are gaining ground in Africa and Latin America.

Hussein Askary is a highly respected expert on China and East Asia, and his insights on the BRI are invaluable for anyone interested in learning more about the BRICS and the BRI initiatives!