Both current and potential BRICS members are capable of competing with the seven major industrialized nations, threatening Western hegemony in the global economy.

Washington’s position on the crisis in Gaza has sparked angry reactions from Arab and Islamic countries and raised questions about the future of U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East.

Relying on security measures alone to counter the al-Shabab insurgency has so far proved ineffective, and any hope of defeating the al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia and throughout the African Horn is becoming increasingly illusive.