Since 1993, SAJIA has offered original and review articles from varied sources, under the auspices of the award-winning South African Institute of International Affairs. It is currently published four times annually, by Routledge of Taylor & Francis.
The SAJIA International Editorial Advisory Board includes Amitav Acharya, Faten Aggad-Clerx, Chris Alden, Daniel Bach, Oladiran Bello, Fantu Cheru, John Dugard, Mervyn Frost, Jorge Heine, Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari, Thierry de Montbrial, Laurie Nathan, Maxi Schoeman, André de Mello e Souza, John Stremlau, Anthoni Van Nieuwkerk and Alex Vines.
The BRICS expanded: Shaped by – or shaping – the global order? (SAJIA Volume 32.1&2), a special issue with guest editors Steve Gruzd, Gustavo de Carvalho and Yu-Shan Wu, is now available on the Taylor and Francis website. This double issue offers vital perspectives on the transformation of BRICS in a rapidly shifting global order. Policymakers and academics face a persistent puzzle when analysing the BRICS: determining what exactly this grouping wants to achieve. The uncertainty stems from contradictory signals, as BRICS countries simultaneously call for reforming global institutions while building their own parallel alternatives; champion multilateralism while actively coordinating positions that challenge Western (especially US) leadership of multilateralism; and advocate for inclusive governance, while often excluding traditional powers from their arrangements. In light of this, the SAJIA special issue addresses global dynamics and national responses such as South Africa’s recalibrated foreign policy towards China, India’s strategic manoeuvring, questions of global financial reform and Turkey’s interest in the bloc. The special issue unpacks the multilayered implications of BRICS enlargement, with contributions from leading scholars who explore whether the expanded grouping is a force for systemic change or a pragmatic response to a post-Western world. A number of relevant and insightful book reviews are also included in the issue. Several articles are published open access, while others are free-to-view on the T&F site through August 2025.
Introduction to the special issue: The BRICS expanded: Shaped by – or shaping – the global order?
Gustavo de Carvalho, Steven Gruzd and Yu-Shan Wu
BRICS expansion: Adaptive response or proactive restructuring of global governance?
Gustavo de Carvalho, Jaimal Anand and Sanusha Naidu
Assessing the Impact of an expanded BRICS on the international order: The role of power and legitimacy
Peter Wang and Rahul Mishra
The expanded BRICS: A catalyst for global transformation or advocate for incremental change?
Omonye Omoigberale
Being Africa’s BRIC(S): South Africa’s foreign policy turn from ‘Neo-Liberalism’ to the ‘New Era’
Chris Alden and Maxi Schoeman
Be careful what you wish for: Brazil and BRICS in three acts
Paulo Esteves and Carlos Frederico Coelho
Kremlin looks southward: The logic of Global South in Russian foreign policy
Vuk Vuksanović
An expanded BRICS: Agenda and stakes for India
Shubhrajeet Konwer
Turkey and BRICS: Strategic autonomy and a search for new partnerships in a post-Western world
Buğra Süsler
China, India and the prospects of a BRICS-led maritime order in the Indian Ocean region
Cliff Mboya and Swati Arun
Between global geopolitics and national interests: BRICS cooperation in the mineral sector
Melanie Müller
The BRICS, the Dollar and SWIFT: A review of evolving interests and monetary reform momentum
Lauren A Johnston
Convergences between the BRICS Business Council and the New Development Bank: Implications for the BRICS membership expansion
Rafaela Mello Rodrigues de Sá and Ana Saggioro Garcia
The BRICS in Africa: Promoting Development? by Funeka Y. April, Modimowabarwa Kanyane, Yul Derek Davids and Krish Chetty
Reviewed by Jayanathan Govender
Locating BRICS in the Global Order: Perspectives from the Global South by Rajan Kumar, Meeta Keswani Mehra, G. Venkat Raman and Meenakshi Sundriyal
Reviewed by Thaís Simões Dória
Westlessness: The Great Global Rebalancing by Samir Puri
Reviewed by John Stremlau
Globalization, Multipolarity and Great Power Competition by Hanna Samir Kassab
Reviewed by J. Brooks Spector
Handbook on Public Policy and Food Security by Sheryl Hendricks and Suresh Babu
Reviewed by Andrew Bennie
BRICS and Climate Change: Balancing National Interests, National Development Goals and Global Environmental Sustainability by Hussein Solomon, Sanet Solomon and Bashabi Gupta
Reviewed by Arina Muresan
