Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Capturing the Spirit of a Decade (2001-2006)
Chapter 2: The Financial Crisis, Contested Legitimacy and the Genesis of Intra-BRICS Cooperation (2006-2008)
Chapter 3: From Yekaterinburg to Brasília: The New Epicenter of World Politics? (2009-2010)
Chapter 4: Enter South Africa: From BRICS to BRICS (2011)
Chapter 5: The Hidden World of Intra-BRICS Cooperation: Does Regime Type Matter?
Chapter 6: Delhi, Durban And Fortaleza: The BRICS Bank and The Contingency Reserve Arrangement (2012-2014)
Chapter 7: The BRICS in the UNSC: The Case Of R2P
Chapter 8: The BRICS Grouping and the Future of Global Order
Appendix 1: High-Level Summits
Appendix 2: Timeline of Events

About the Author

Oliver Stuenkel is assistant professor of international relations at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) in São Paulo, where he coordinates the São Paulo branch of the School of History and Social Science (CPDOC) and the executive program in international relations.

Reviews

Stuenkel provides a detailed chronology of the concept of the BRICS from when BRIC was first coined by Goldman Sachs as a financial concept in 2001 to its status today as a political and economic institution. Stuenkel’s book specifically sets out to examine what impact these rising powers will have on global affairs. As his book demonstrates, despite different regime types, intra-BRICS cooperation has begun to occur on social and economic issues, such as development, finance, and health. A larger, looming question underlying this book is whether the BRICS represent a threat to the current global order by attempting to create an alternative paradigm. The final three chapters are quite informative and serve as a springboard for future research on intra-BRICS cooperation. These chapters note the successes, such as the creation of the New Development Bank and the Contingency Reserve Agreement, but stress the potential challenges for continued intra-BRICS cooperation. Stuenkel concludes that BRICS actions demonstrate a desire to widen the playing field to be more democratic rather than creating a new global order. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the BRICS and is highly recommended for undergraduate, graduate students, and faculty. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.
*CHOICE*

There is an admirable amount of research in this work. . . .It is a very valuable guide to the BRICS as an international actor, and indeed is the most informative account that I have read.
*E-International Relations*

Overall this is a book that focuses on the BRICS’ internal dynamics, analysing the several moments that led to the construction of the bloc. It is ‘a critical “historical biography” of the BRICS concept’ (p. ix), making it suitable for a wider audience and satisfying both the needs of experienced researchers and readers in general.
*Europe-Asia Studies*

The role and importance of the so-called BRICS has been hotly debated for a decade, but it has not been studied in a systematic way until now. Oliver Stuenkel’s balanced and richly detailed work demonstrates that the BRICS are neither a coherent coalition seeking to overturn the global balance of power nor a passing fad of little importance. Instead, his analysis shows that cooperation among the BRICS seeks to foster the gradual emergence of a legitimate and rule-based multipolar order, and to press the United States and its allies to follow existing global rules more consistently. This nuanced and clearly-written book offers an illuminating glimpse into the future of global politics.
*Stephen Walt, Harvard Kennedy School*

This is the best book on BRICS written to date. It brilliantly analyzes the origins of the group, the nature and scope of intra-BRICS cooperation, and its impact on world order. It is required reading for anyone interested in the emerging trends in world politics.
*Amitav Acharya, UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance, American University*