By Qamar Bashir

The BRICS 2025 Summit in Rio de Janeiro was far more than a diplomatic gathering—it was a geopolitical turning point, a moment of collective reckoning for the Global South, and a direct response to America’s unilateralism, Israel’s unchecked militarism, and the unraveling of the Western world order. Timed strategically after Israel’s devastating strikes on Iran and Gaza—and following Trump’s belligerent declaration of a 10% tariff on all nations defying U.S. trade terms—the summit sent a unified message: the world is moving on.

At the heart of this message was the BRICS Declaration, a bold articulation of resistance against militarized foreign policy, economic coercion, and the abuse of reserve currency power. What made this summit unprecedented was not only the clarity with which BRICS condemned the U.S.-Israel axis for its blatant violation of international law, but the practical measures agreed upon to structurally decouple from American economic domination.

The centerpiece of this structural shift was the long-anticipated move to establish a common BRICS trading currency. For the first time, member countries agreed to denominate a growing share of their trade and investment flows in a non-dollar-based, BRICS-aligned digital settlement system. This decision was not symbolic. It came in the wake of China offloading over $100 billion in U.S. Treasury securities over the past five years, and redirecting its reserves into strategic real assets—gold, rare earth minerals, agricultural land, and energy infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The message is clear: the dollar is no longer sacred.

As BRICS economies deepen their interdependence—through trade agreements, digital fiber-optic corridors, satellite connectivity, and synchronized financial systems—they are preparing for a post-dollar world.

This isn’t simply de-dollarization; it’s sovereign emancipation. When you control the currency, you control the terms of global commerce. The United States used this leverage for decades. Now BRICS is building an alternative.

This redirection is also political. The United States and Israel’s unprovoked bombing of Iran on June 13—which killed 935 Iranians, including key military and scientific leaders—and the follow-up U.S. strikes on June 21 using bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities, were condemned as “a blatant breach of international law” by the BRICS bloc. Iran’s response—precision missile and drone retaliation—was followed by a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. But the BRICS statement didn’t forget. It squarely placed moral and legal blame where it belonged: on Washington and Tel Aviv.

The silence of international institutions was deafening. The United Nations failed to respond decisively. Western media framed the strikes as “pre-emptive” rather than illegal. In contrast, BRICS voiced its unequivocal support for Iranian sovereignty, for Syria’s territorial integrity, and for the universal application of international law.

But nowhere was the moral clarity sharper than in BRICS’ position on Gaza. The 21-month Israeli assault on the enclave—killing over 57,000 Palestinians, 70% of them women and children, and turning Gaza into what human rights experts describe as a “concentration camp”—was denounced in the strongest terms. The BRICS Declaration rejected the weaponization of starvation, the politicization of aid, and the targeting of civilians at food distribution points. It called for full recognition of Palestinian statehood, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and endorsed the work of UNRWA, which has been banned by Israel.

Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff regime continues to destabilize the global economy. Under the guise of “America First,” the U.S. administration has weaponized trade to punish dissent. The new 10% blanket tariff on BRICS-aligned nations—threatened on Trump’s Truth Social account—was met with a chilling counter-move: BRICS pledged to increase internal trade, insulate their economies from the dollar, and systematically bypass the SWIFT system.

This isn’t theory. It’s happening.

Already, BRICS accounts for over 36% of global GDP (PPP-adjusted) and 47% of the world’s population. With the addition of new members like Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, and the UAE, the bloc has transformed into a dynamic political-economic alliance representing the true Global Majority. While G7 economies grow at an average of 1.6%, BRICS is projected to grow at 3.4% in 2025, according to the IMF.

China, India, and Brazil are already among the world’s top 10 largest economies. Collectively, BRICS holds more foreign reserves than the G7, and controls over 60% of critical minerals essential for green technologies. This isn’t a coalition that can be isolated. It’s a rising pole.

What’s even more striking is the shift in reconstruction politics. Traditionally, the U.S. model was destruction followed by controlled reconstruction—destroy Iraq, then rebuild it with Halliburton; bomb Libya, then claim oil concessions. That era is waning. Today, countries like Saudi Arabia are investing in Syria not to exploit, but to stabilize. BRICS nations are financing development without political strings. They are demonstrating that you can rebuild without colonizing.

The declaration also emphasized connectivity—fiber optic corridors, digital bridges, and space-linked infrastructure. This is the technological backbone of BRICS integration. By reducing dependency on U.S.-controlled systems—satellites, networks, and payment rails—BRICS is building a self-sufficient parallel world order.

Yet amid all this, Washington remains curiously sluggish. The American political elite appears insulated, unaware of the tectonic shifts underway. The majority of U.S. foreign-held debt is owned by BRICS countries and their allies. Should they convert their dollar reserves into real assets or non-dollar trade systems, the American financial system—based on printing and demand—will face a reckoning.

Let us be clear: no one wants America to fall. The United States is a land of unmatched creativity, innovation, and potential. Its people deserve prosperity and peace. But if it continues to rely on coercion instead of cooperation, on threats instead of treaties, and on tariffs instead of trust—it will lose not just influence, but respect.

It is still within America’s power to pivot. To abandon the zero-sum mindset. To embrace multilateralism, dignity, and mutual prosperity. But the clock is ticking.

In the current geopolitical realignment, BRICS is now the most populous, the most resource-rich, and arguably the most forward-thinking bloc on Earth. It cannot be sidelined. It must be engaged—seriously, and respectfully.

Trump’s trade war is not just economically reckless—it is strategically self-defeating. By attempting to isolate BRICS, he may be accelerating its consolidation into the very superpower bloc he fears.

The 2025 BRICS Summit was not just another declaration. It was a declaration of independence from the unipolar world. A call for a new equilibrium based on equality, sovereignty, and shared humanity.

The question is: will Washington listen, or will history leave it behind?

By Qamar Bashir

Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)

Former Press Minister, Embassy of Pakistan to France

Former MD, SRBC | Macomb, Michigan, USA

by Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal

Even before the arrival of the monsoon, various parts of Pakistan were already overwhelmed by destruction. Unseasonal and unrelenting rains descended upon the land, bringing with them torrents that swept away homes, roads, crops, and lives. Rainfall during these months is not an unfamiliar visitor, but the scale of devastation now experienced is a marked departure from the seasonal showers of years past. Floods that once came with warning and a rhythm now descend like a curse, sudden and unforgiving. The nation finds itself asking a dire question; is this destruction the work of shifting weather, human recklessness, or divine displeasure?

There is no doubt that climate change plays a formidable role in this pattern. Pakistan, though one of the least contributors to global carbon emissions, is counted among the most vulnerable countries to the effects of environmental degradation. Erratic weather patterns, prolonged dry spells followed by cloudbursts, melting glaciers in the north, and rising sea levels in the south—all converge to paint a grim reality. However, to lay the blame solely at the feet of nature is to ignore our own hand in this unfolding tragedy.

The carelessness and heedlessness of the people, especially tourists and thrill-seekers, cannot be overlooked. Each year, as warnings are issued by the meteorological departments, many still choose to venture into unsafe zones, pitching camps near rivers or ascending mountain passes vulnerable to landslides. Such negligence has repeatedly cost lives—not just of the risk-takers, but often of the rescue workers who must retrieve them.

But the deeper and more dangerous threat lies not in individual misjudgment, but in systemic failure and unbridled urban greed. In recent decades, the unchecked expansion of housing societies—often operating with influential patronage and with little regard for environmental codes—has encroached upon vast swathes of agricultural land and natural waterways. These societies, in their race for profit and concrete, have blocked or diverted the ancient paths of rivers and stormwater runoffs. The result is that when the rains come, there is no longer a path for the water to escape; instead, it floods residential areas, submerges roads, and tears through anything that obstructs its natural flow.

Agricultural fields, once capable of absorbing rainwater, have been replaced by asphalt and stone. Canals and tributaries have been narrowed or redirected. In some cases, housing developers have built over dried riverbeds, not realizing—or choosing to ignore—that these dry tracts are dormant, not dead. When nature reclaims her space, the consequences are catastrophic. The once fertile belt between Lahore and Sheikhupura, the surroundings of Islamabad, and the outskirts of Karachi all serve as bitter examples of how unregulated development has led to ecological imbalance and human suffering.

Adding to this woe is the criminal negligence in the maintenance of drainage systems. Major cities of Pakistan suffer annually from choked sewer lines and uncleared storm drains. Despite repeated incidents, local administrations seldom initiate timely cleaning drives. Thus, even modest rainfall can inundate entire localities, paralyze urban mobility, and cause irreparable damage to public and private property.

Some look at these events through the lens of spirituality, interpreting them as signs of divine displeasure. In a society marred by injustice, corruption, and widening moral decline, such calamities are viewed as warnings rather than mere accidents of nature. Whether one accepts this view or not, the need for introspection is undeniable. It is not merely the skies that have changed; the ground beneath us—social, ethical, and literal—has shifted too.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), over 180 lives have been lost this year due to rain-induced incidents, while property and infrastructure damage has crossed 60 billion rupees. Thousands of people have been rendered homeless, and entire villages in flood-prone districts have been submerged or cut off. Crops have been swept away just weeks before harvest, inflicting further hardship on an already struggling rural population.

If we are to avert such losses in the future, immediate and long-term measures must be taken. First and foremost, the establishment of a comprehensive, technologically advanced early warning system is imperative. Local governments must be equipped and empowered to act swiftly upon such warnings. Urban planning must include proper drainage and water flow considerations, and illegal constructions on flood plains must be removed without exception. The annual cleaning of storm drains should be conducted with transparency and regular monitoring.

There must be a moratorium on the approval of housing societies on agricultural lands and near natural waterways. The land development authorities must be reformed to prioritize environmental sustainability over short-term revenue. In addition, educational campaigns are needed to sensitize citizens, especially travelers and tourists, about safety protocols during the rainy season. Finally, Pakistan must advocate at international forums for climate justice and seek technology transfers, funding, and partnerships to build resilience.

The challenge before us is immense, but not insurmountable. If we learn from past errors, combine wisdom with science, and align our actions with both reason and righteousness, we may yet find a path to safety. Otherwise, the rains will return next year—and with them, another chapter of sorrow.