South Africa to host joint naval exercise with BRICS-Plus group amid US-Venezuela tensions

Exactly 72 hours from now, the world is about to witness the sparks of a new world war. Russia and China deployed their weapons in support of Iran. Who will be the two opposing sides in the Third World War and which side will have the upper hand? US President Donald Trump said that after Venezuela, it would be the Caliphate’s turn, that is, Iran. This is exactly why the world is taking action somewhere in the world because of Iran.

On January 9, the anti-American bloc will begin a major naval exercise in South Africa. In addition to Iran, China, Russia, South Africa, Indonesia and Ethiopia are also participating in this naval exercise. So all countries participating in this war exercise are part of the BRICS alliance. While all countries sent their ships for the exercise, which will last between January 9-16, Iran sent two fleets from its navy.

By deploying two large fleets, Iran made clear that it took Trump’s warning seriously and was making military preparations to counter it. However, what attracts more attention than the size of this military exercise is its slogan.

The motto of this military exercise held in South Africa is “An injury to one is an injury to all”. This means that any damage done to an allied country will be considered damage to the entire group. In fact, this is a message to Trump that, just as the USA and European countries formed the NATO military alliance, anti-Western countries can also establish their own military alliances along similar lines.

Although BRICS has always defined itself as a political and economic bloc, recent meetings have seen an increasing emphasis on strategic cooperation among its members. BRICS members increased the number of joint military exercises. The exercise carried out in South Africa is also part of this trend. Additionally, BRICS members are participating in a multilateral military exercise in Russia called ZAPAD. Members such as India and Russia also conduct bilateral military exercises.

This change in the strategic behavior of BRICS members has led to speculation that BRICS may form a military alliance similar to NATO to counter growing American dominance in the world. How strong would such an alliance be if it were formed?

Just three BRICS members (Russia, China and Iran) have 50 percent of the world’s missile power. Russia and China alone have 6,000 nuclear weapons, while the NATO alliance has about 4,300. In terms of troop numbers, BRICS members, even without India, command 26 percent of the world’s troops. By comparison, NATO’s figure is about 13 percent; That is, half the number of BRICS members. When it comes to air power, the BRICS alliance has 26 percent of the world’s combat aircraft, while NATO has about 30 percent.