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Emerging States and the Shifting Balance of Global Power

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Entering the Global Arena

Part of the book series: Mega Event Planning ((MEGAEP))

Abstract

The economic achievements of the BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—have shifted economic power away from the West and led to the development of a more decentred international economy and alternative models of international economic development. As this chapter highlights, the rise of new economic centres of power and the shifting balance of power have raised concerns about a possible endgame to the current international order. This chapter explores these concerns and analyses the extent to which they are based on assumptions around BRICS’ unity and the sustainability of their continued economic success.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In terms of nuclear capabilities and military resources, Russia is the outstanding power among the BRICS. Moscow commands around 7000 nuclear warheads compared to China’s 270 and India’s 130 (www.armscontriol.org/factsheets/nuclearweaponswhohaswhat). Military spending in Russia is also high at 4.24 per cent of GDP in 2017, more than double that of China’s 2 per cent of GDP in the same year. Interestingly, and relevant since our study includes Qatar, military spending in Qatar has risen by 282 per cent since 2012 and the country is the third largest weapons importer. Qatar is heavily dependent upon the West for its weapons systems. It also hosts American and Turkish military bases (SPIRI.com). This suggests that Qatar’s emerging power serves the interest of the major powers rather than challenging it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business and Law Faculty, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Jonathan Grix, Paul Michael Brannagan & Donna Lee

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  1. Jonathan Grix
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  2. Paul Michael Brannagan
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  3. Donna Lee
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Correspondence to Jonathan Grix .

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Grix, J., Brannagan, P.M., Lee, D. (2019). Emerging States and the Shifting Balance of Global Power. In: Entering the Global Arena. Mega Event Planning. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7952-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7952-9_2

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