BRICS and the SCO Offer a Different Vision of Global Power

Source: The National | Original Published At: 2026-09-02 14:45:00 UTC

Key Points

• The article examines BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as platforms for cooperation in a changing international order.
• It reports that the expanded BRICS grouping represents 49.5 percent of the world's population and 40 percent of global GDP at purchasing power parity.
• The New Development Bank has approved nearly $43 billion in financing for more than 120 infrastructure projects since its founding in 2015, according to the article.
• Both groupings use consensus-based decision-making and include members with significant political or territorial disagreements.
• The commentary argues that both organisations emphasise the United Nations and its charter while supporting institutional reforms.
• The author presents continued cooperation on shared interests despite disputes as a defining strength of both groupings.