Algeria Applies To Join BRICS

Among the top 40 countries by both population and GDP (PPP), Algeria is a strong candidate for ascension to BRICS. The North African nation is Africa’s largest natural gas exporter and the fifth largest in the world. State-owned oil company, Sonatrach, is already the largest company on the continent and Algeria is set to become the biggest gas supplier to Italy with Russian supplies to Europe disrupted by sanctions and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.

BRICS Relations

Algeria has good relations with all the current BRICS bloc nations. China overtook France as Algeria’s largest trade partner in 2013, and the pair just signed their second five-year strategic co-operation agreement last month. India is a historical ally who supported Algeria in their war of independence from France, and the Algerians support India receiving a permanent seat on the UN security council. 

Russia and Algeria have excellent relations too, particularly in military affairs. Russia is the largest supplier of arms to Algeria and the two countries have recently conducted joint military exercises. Russia is also considering the formation of a natural gas equivalent of OPEC with Iran. The inclusion of Algeria in BRICS could help accelerate the develop of such an organisation.  

BRICS Expansion

Last month, during a meeting at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a high ranking government official was emphatic that the formalisation of BRICS was not a priority for the ‘club’. Expansion on the other hand is considered imminent. This actually makes a good deal of sense. The informality of the arrangement means each nation can take what they want from the association and co-operation between participating countries can be enhanced without the need for uniform agreement among all the member states.    

Non-BRICS countries are already regularly invited to participate at BRICS events. This suggests that moving from BRICS to a BRICS ‘plus’ format is both feasible and desirable for the existing members. After a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in November of this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that as "applications have already been officially submitted," the BRICS member states "have agreed to negotiate the criteria and principles of reviewing these applications". These negotiations, said Lavrov, “will not take long”.

There is a compelling Russian motivation for BRICS expansion after their expulsion from what was formerly the G8. China is also genuinely motivated by a desire to create an alternative to the G7 due to increasing geopolitical tension with the United States. As the fastest growing major economy in the world, India should be especially determined to expand BRICS as a platform for advancing its emerging political and economic pre-eminence. South Africa, Brazil, and other developing countries that may join the bloc, all benefit from having a more prominent political voice.

BRICS has already expanded once, when China invited South Africa to join in 2010. This shows that it can be done. There are no formal criteria besides the unanimous consent of the existing members. This creates a strong incentive to join sooner rather than later, before there are more non-founding countries with a say on further expansion. We have already seen this in the European Union where expansion has slowed in part due the principle of unanimous consent.

BRICS as a decolonial movement

Another attraction for countries such as Algeria is that BRICS is in many ways a decolonial movement. Like South Africa, Algeria opposed NATO’s intervention in Libya. An intervention which resulted in the extrajudicial killing of the head of African Union and the destruction of what was once one of Africa’s most prosperous nations. As a more recent example, Algerians were greatly offended by French President Emmanuel Macron questioning whether Algeria existed as a nation prior to French colonization. Despite millions of Algerians dying as a result of the French occupation, Paris has never apologised for its bloody suppression of their Mediterranean neighbours.   

In 2023, the chairmanship of BRICS passes to South Africa during a crucial time for determining the roadmap for BRICS expansion. Expansion will give more weight to BRICS as a political entity. It could also provide a critical mass for developing alternative financial systems. This could help lower debt servicing costs for poorer nations. Nations who have to borrow development capital at higher rates than their former colonisers despite often having lower relative debt levels, better trade balances, and higher rates of economic growth. 

Conclusion

Algeria’s good relations with the individual BRICS nations certainly increases the likelihood of their joining the bloc. BRICS would become BRICS+ as more countries join. Expanded membership would give impetus to the primary objectives of the grouping, which include enhanced political co-ordination among developing countries, and the formation of alternative payment and reserve currency systems for global trade.

Algeria is already a member of OPEC, the Arab Trade Zone, and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. These economic and trade groupings offer Algeria free trade, prestige, and favourable relations with a large number of countries. Joining BRICS is the natural next step. A seat at the BRICS table is a unique opportunity for developing nations, offering them unrivalled educational, scientific, and financial co-operation as well as a much needed political voice.