11 Key Insights from President Isaias’s Historic Address at BRICS 2023 Summit

Our global community is at a veritable crossroads.

That was the opening line of President Isaias’s address, after courtesies at the BRICS 2023 summit. And with that, the president of Eritrea proceeded to deliver an address that, despite its brevity, historians will long remember as the most significant address of the event. Its content, if carefully examined, could fill volumes of books. The address not only justified why many purred over his esteemed participation in BRICS summit even before it began, but it also underscored how one can never really grasp the full significance of such a great personality. But just how impactful was his address?

Naturally, deconstructing an address as iconic as this one, particularly in the immediate aftermath, is nearly impossible. Only diligent historians composing their accounts in decades to come, and leveraging the benefit of hindsight, will stand a chance to fully fathom the visionary observations embedded within it. For now, we can only be certain that, if the world takes heed of his insights, posterity will celebrate how he steered the present away from a “perilous path” towards “a just and equitable global order…” Otherwise, future historians will decry how we missed our chance to halt our “global village” from hurtling down the precipice of unprecedented disaster. In either scenario, history will record how President Isaias’s prophetic foresight foreshadowed developments.

Simply put, today, one may not fully appreciate President Isaias’s address at the BRICS Summit 2023 without the benefit of time. Still, we must attempt to see it today, as future historians will, even if only to peep at the future he envisioned. Below are the 11 key insights.

Acknowledgment of Critical Global Situation

Saying that “our global community is at a veritable crossroads,” might seem as unremarkable as any other to someone with little political awareness of current world events. However, when you juxtapose it with the current state of the world, the profound implications become evident. From the outset, President Isaias draws attention to the pivotal moment of decision and choice that confronts the world. He fully captures the seriousness of the hour in urging the BRICS alliance to make critical decisions and take proactive measures to chart the future. Those choices, he implies, will carry far-reaching consequences, not only shaping the trajectory of BRICS but also leaving an indelible mark on the broader scope of global affairs.

Critique of Prevailing Global Governance Architecture

Once the seriousness of the hour is set, President Isaias delves into the flaws undermining the current global governance architecture. He elaborates on how the framework’s dysfunctionality, non-inclusive nature, and unfair regulations hinder its effectiveness. By characterizing these issues as “too evident to merit emphasis,” he emphasizes their seriousness and draws attention to the disconnect between the existing rules governing international relations and the ever-evolving dynamics of nations. President Isaias essentially proposes that BRICS, empowered by its burgeoning economic and geopolitical influence, should champion equitable global governance structures. These structures should ensure the fair representation of emerging economies and address the concerns of developing nations.

Impact of US Exceptionalism

Not one to mince his words, President Isaias wastes no time to reveal what is at the heart of the dysfunctional Global Governance Architecture hindering global progress over the past century. It is, to quote him, “US Exceptionalism” or “PAX AMERICANA,” he says, fearlessly observing how the dominance of the US has resulted in an unbalanced distribution of influence and authority, overlooking principles of fair representation, inclusivity, and cooperation among nations. In this context, President Isaias not only acknowledges BRICS’ potential to champion multipolar collaboration but also challenges its members to eschew exceptionalism. This message holds particular relevance for BRICS, as the allure of exceptionalism can be tempting, especially for economically and politically powerful members of the alliance, like China, Russia, and India.

Consequences of Bi-polarity and Uni-polarity

President Isaias’s address then veers toward the repercussions of bi-polarity and uni-polarity, revealing the pitfalls of these power dynamics. He explains how these approaches have historically resulted in conflicts and instability — an “endless spiral of conflicts and perpetual instability,” as he highlights. Coming from a man hailed as a pioneer of multipolarity, we can only understand this as a distinct call for BRICS to counterbalance prevailing power dynamics. In this sense, he sees BRICS as a promising alternative to uni-polarity, with the potential to usher in multipolarity. This, however, necessitates avoiding the pitfalls of the former and demonstrating the benefits of collaborative decision-making and equal partnership.

Squandering Opportunities for Global Progress

President Isaias then emphasizes the missed opportunities for cultivating meaningful partnerships among nations and ensuring equitable benefits for all. He touches on the unrealized potential of technological advancements as a shared public good. The underlying message is that by ethically harnessing these advancements for the betterment of humanity, a fair and just global order could have been established. Given what we know of President Isaias’s forward-thinking mentality, we can only here, see a man who recognizes BRICS’ diverse representation of nations with immense potential for collaboration, technological advancement, and economic growth. His message here is simply that BRICS members need to harness their collective strengths, foster meaningful partnerships, harness technological progress, and establish inclusive frameworks for global cooperation.

Proponents of Hegemony Pushing for Disaster

Upon urging members to harness their collective strengths for shared progress, President Isaias proceeds to caution them against succumbing to hegemonic tendencies. He delivers a stark reminder of the perils associated with unchecked dominance, emphasizing how such behaviors can lead to catastrophic consequences for international stability. In a sense, this is an exhortation for the BRICS alliance to proactively counteract the negative impacts of hegemonic tendencies by advocating for multipolarity and inclusivity. Through such concerted efforts, he clearly sees the alliance playing a pivotal role in preventing, rather than perpetuating, disastrous conflicts and power struggles.

Concerns About Escalation of War in Ukraine

President Isaias then substantiates his criticism of hegemonic tendencies and its consequences, by pointing to the escalation of conflicts, particularly in Ukraine. He underscores the critical role of dialogue and conflict mediation in preventing these tensions from escalating into full-scale confrontations. This concern holds significant importance for BRICS seeing as some of its leading members, including Russia and China, are confronting such situations. The way forward, President Isaias thinks, is peaceful resolutions and multilateral diplomacy as essential tools for counterbalancing the escalation of those conflicts. Thus, BRICS, he suggests, can play a key role in ensuring global stability by fostering open dialogue and advocating for negotiated settlements.

Effects of Wars and Unilateral Actions on the World

He then follows on BRICS role in ensuring global security by delving into the profound and far-reaching repercussions of wars and unilateral actions. Here, he is basically saying that beyond fostering open dialogue and advocating for a negotiated settlement, BRICS must embrace multipolarity and collaboration as core values in order to effectively address the negative repercussions of wars, etc actions. With the experience of himself and country, Eritrea, having been victims of unilateral actions by Western powers, President Isaias issues a clear challenge to BRICS. He urges the alliance to champion collective decision-making and adherence to international law as essential strategies for mitigating the impact of conflicts and unilateral measures.

Niger situation symptomatic of modern slavery

Still, on conflicts, President Isaias seizes the opportunity of this highly publicized summit to address the Niger situation for the first time. Never a man given to the superficial or performative politics of making statements to gain attention, but always only speaking out when he believes his words can impact, the BRICS summit was the perfect moment. He utilized it not only to draw attention to the conflict but also to insinuate its broader implications. He characterized it as “symptomatic” of “modern slavery,” by alluding to Europe’s looting of Niger oil, and in effect, presenting Niger’s predicament as not isolated but emblematic of systemic challenges facing nations in the developing world, particularly within Africa.

Aspirations for a Just and Fair Global Order

As his address draws to a close, President Isaias eloquently paints his enduring vision for a global order characterized by justice and equity, underlining the ethical foundations of international relations. He tells of aspirations for a world where principles of justice, the rule of law, and collaborative cooperation form the bedrock. Aligned with these noble ideals, President Isaias urges the BRICS member countries to align their policies and actions with this vision, champion equitable economic development, safeguard human rights, and uphold the inviolability of sovereignty.

What we must do to accelerate de-dollarization

President Isaias concludes his address by addressing the issue of de-dollarization. He decries the hegemonistic dominance of the US dollar and highlights the necessity for a more diversified and equitable global financial framework. This sentiment aligns with his previous critique of the prevailing global governance structure, which favors specific nations at the expense of others. Beyond this, President Isaias’s emphasis on de-dollarization underscores his conviction in the inviolability of economic sovereignty for nations. He, in effect, rallies the BRICS countries to move beyond reliance on the US dollar and to supplement the measures of de-dollarization already on the offing by continuous consensus building, etc.