An Analysis of the Legitimacy of the BRICS in the International System

Abstract

The emergence of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) as a coalition acting within the global governance architecture has been met with skepticism and guarded enthusiasm. After ten years in existence, the BRICS countries have continued to consolidate relations among themselves, expand their cooperation and expand its engagement with the international community. The BRICS has been establishing its legitimacy as a relevant actor and carving out a space to act out its corporate identity. I argue that the BRICS has been engaged in a non-linear and negotiated process to establish its legitimacy. I do this by highlighting the deliberate acts undertaken to carve out an identity and to elicit agreement on the acceptable range of its conduct in global affairs. The study brings together literature on the BRICS with literature on legitimacy to shed light on the application and significance of issues of legitimacy in international relations.