US PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s administration has heralded a significant departure from traditional foreign policy, exemplified by its shifting stance on key international players, including Africa, the Arab nations, China and the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
These nations, alongside recent entrants like Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, cumulatively possess a GDP estimated at approximately $28.78 trillion (about R530 trillion), comparable to that of the US.
With a collective population of about 3.6 billion, accounting for 45% of the global demographic, this coalition represents a substantial challenge to US economic hegemony. As relations with long-standing allies like Canada and European nations are subjected to scrutiny and renegotiation, the consequences of such pivots are likely to reverberate far beyond American shores. The shock and…