At a landmark summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, this past August, four countries in the Middle East and North Africa—Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—were invited to join the BRICS group as of January 1, 2024. BRICS countries have been seeking to reduce dependency on the U.S. dollar and foster a multipolar world in which the global South plays a more central role, ushering in a new era of economic and geopolitical cooperation.
The inclusion of Middle Eastern and North African countries in the BRICS group raises several pivotal questions: Why did these countries seek BRICS membership? What unique interests and qualities can they contribute to the BRICS group? And what far-reaching economic and geopolitical consequences might arise from this expansion?
To address these questions and others, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center is organizing a policy webinar on September 28, at 5:00 PM EEST. The speakers will be Alexander Kateb and Abdullah Baaboud. The discussion will be held in English and moderated by Nur Arafeh, a fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.
Viewers may submit their questions to the panelists using the live chat feature on Facebook and YouTube.
For more information, please contact Najwa Yassine at najwa.yassine@carnegie-mec.org.
