BRICS Nations Condemn Air Strikes over Libya

On April 14, the BRICS member-countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) met for their latest leadership summit gathering and, digressing from their usual discussion of economic affairs, commented on recent developments in Libya. CNN reported that at the conclusion of the conference, the BRICS countries put forth a joint declaration condemning the air strikes by Western nations. On August 23, Latin News reported that the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, known as Itamaraty, supports a “stable, peaceful political solution” to the power struggle in Libya. Spokesman for the Itamaraty Tovar Nunes stated that Brazil “is very sensitive to the aspirations of the Libyan people,” though the nation has yet to take an official position on the legitimacy of the rebel government. It is worth mentioning that Brazil has a special interest in the stability of Libya, which serves as the base for large-scale operations in both the energy corporation Petrobras and the construction giant Odebrecht. Brazil could be hesitant to upset its relationship with Libya and threaten the stability of its economic ventures. Of particular note is that this statement issued by the BRICS nations regarding an external political situation is one of the few occasions on which they have departed from their traditional economic role in favor of a political one.