Clash between the Chaotic Empire and the BRICS Alliance

The Empire of Chaos in Overdrive

Pepe Escobar pitches it straight: Ladies and gentlemen, strap in for a bumpy ride! As the world treads the path of 2025, the chaos ensemble, a.k.a. the Empire of Chaos, will relentlessly target BRICS — a formidable alliance of nations vying for sovereignty.

In the grand scheme of things, chaos has become a cherished policy by the US's deep-state, enjoying bipartisan support. Michael Hudson's prophetic labeling of this "chaos policy" lays the groundwork for understanding the unfolding drama.

Without a strategic vision to guide them and cornered by an imperial retreat from Eurasia, the Hegemon's only recourse is to unleash chaos across Europe, West Asia, and parts of Latin America. Their aim: Divide and rule BRICS, thwarting their united drive for national interests.

Three years ago, US think tanks had floated the notion of "swing states". No, not political swing states in the American sense, but geopolitical ones. From Brazil, India, and South Africa, to Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, all six nations were potential targets for destabilization under a simple code: "Stay in line with the 'rules-based international order,' or face the consequences."

Saudi Arabia, on edge about its wealth parked in London and New York, is cautiously hedging its bets. Despite being a BRICS member in theory, Riyadh remains aloof in practice. Turkey, invited as a partner (no official response yet), has yet to commit.

Stepping into the Spotlight

Enter Indonesia, a Southeast Asian powerhouse that has just earned a full membership this week, under the Brazilian BRICS presidency. Ba-dum-tsssg! Welcome to the dynamic coalition that's about to shake up the geopolitical landscape.

The newly coined BRIIICS (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China, South Africa) alliance represents a growing powerhouse, accounting for nearly half of the global population and about 41.4% of global GDP in PPP. This is the might the Empire of Chaos is up against.

Imagine BRIIICS, the transcontinental pearls of the emerging multi-nodal world: Massive populations, abundant natural resources, and industrial might, teeming with endless development opportunities. The ruling elites of the Empire of Chaos can't counter this force with anything substantial.

Instead, their "offerings" to the Global Majority include support for ethnic cleansing genocide and terror regimes. Welcome to "Terror and Genocide R Us," brought to you by the Empire of Chaos.

Deception and No Half-Measures

BRICS, building on last October's summit in Kazan, is employing a Sun Tzu strategy: deception, nuance, and no grand declarations. No direct threats to the Empire of Chaos, besides a clear focus on shaking off the IMF and World Bank stranglehold, as in increasing trade in local currencies.

As the pieces move on the global chessboard — from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to ASEAN — BRICS is laying the groundwork for a new world order.

Top of the list is China, intent on a tech war, expanding its global trade, and recalibrating Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects. In many respects, BRI is the heart of China's approach to BRICS.

China's strategic interests encompass a landscape spanning the globe, from market-sharing agreements with the Global South, free trade agreements with BRICS, ASEAN, and APEC, to energy cooperation with West Asian nations. APEC ranks as a linchpin for trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific, closely linked to BRI, launched in 2013.

Concurrently, since 2022, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been steadily expanding on Xi's call for a "new security architecture in the Middle East."

In the Middle East, the focus is on Classical Balance of Power, with Iran as a key partner to counter the US. On February 18, 2021, China and Iran signed the 25-year blueprint for economic cooperation.

Beijing's oil imports, amounting to about 50%, primarily come from West Asia. China's suppliers are highly diversified, including heavy-hitters like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iran (via Malaysia).

In parallel, China shrugs off the minuscule nuisances of QUAD and AUKUS. The NATO pivot to Asia is a non-starter, as China swiftly builds a complex strategy of area denial.

Navigating EU's Demise

From France's shaky foundations to the looming existential crisis of the Euro, the European Union (EU) faces a perilous road ahead. The collective suicide of Europe will reach a dramatic climax as the corrosion of the social, industrial, and cultural model sweeps across the continent.

The turmoil encompasses systemic problems like:

The ravages of full-blown dementia in Brussels
The end of cheap energy
Accelerated deindustrialization
Economies in free fall
Unpayable debt (public and private)
Forcing severe cuts on social services in the name of increased weaponization
The distasteful contempt shown by NATO-EU's "leadership" for the average citizen/taxpayer

Trump 2.0's impending trade war with the EU will only accelerate the collapse of the European economy. Take France, already on shaky ground. French debt now trades at Greek 2012 levels — spreads above German bonds. More than half of the 2.5 trillion Euro French government bond market is owned by global vultures and hot money. There's no Mario Draghi with an ECB bazooka to save the Euro from its new existential crisis.

Historian, anthropologist, and demographer Emmanuel Todd, author of the ground-breaking La DÉFAITE DE L'OCCIDENT, is one of the rare French intellectuals who understands the new rules of the game. In a startling interview, Todd points out the absurdity of considering Trump victorious "amid an economy in tatters," and on top of it, when the "US is losing a war, on a global scale, against Russia."

So amidst all the self-aggrandizement about "Trump's hyperpower," Todd has crystallized an astonishing, stark truth: "Trump will need to manage the United States' defeat against Russia."

Libya 2.0 and Beyond

The US is all too eager to "win" Hollywood-style; however, no real victory awaits in Syria. Despite the "great victories" reported by the US media, the cornered, entitled elites of the Empire of Chaos are gearing up to inflict immense suffering on the Global Majority.

Victory in Syria might send them into a drunken stupor, and the jingoistic "real men go to Tehran" mentality will resurface with a vengeance. The contours of Syria becoming Libya 2.0 are emerging, but it won't be a repeat of the House Always Wins scenario, as there is no "house."

Hezbollah, reorganizing in neighboring Lebanon, and Ansarullah in Yemen are waiting in the wings for a chance to renew the battle against Eretz Israel.

Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the ISIS emir of Nineveh, emir of Jabhat Al-Nusra, and prime emir of al-Qaeda in the Levant, single-handedly embodies the Western propaganda machine's manufactured image of terror. If he fails to hand over power by 2025 — and not in four years — to a new democratic government, forget about Syria's sanctions being lifted.

A looming showdown between Eretz Israel and Turkey's neo-Ottomanism is imminent. The Turkish project to control Syria is shaky at best. The Empire of Chaos will not let go of the Kurds, and tensions with Turkey are brewing. Arab money will not flow for Syria's reconstruction unless Damascus is totally subservient to the Persian Gulf monarchies.

Managing Debt and Industrial Production

BRICS faces significant internal contradictions that the Empire of Chaos will exploit relentlessly. Iran, UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, when they attend meetings, struggle to find consensus on the same table.

Domestic tensions also plague Brazil, as an anti-BRICS lobby fights to undermine the alliance within the Foreign Ministry, reflecting the ongoing internal Iranian debate between diehard Axis of Resistance supporters and the Atlanticist-leaning faction.

What matters most, from an institutional angle, is that China-Russia, at the highest BRICS sphere, and across the soft power sphere, keep up the emphasis on equality, harmony, and a focus on human development as crucial politico-economic values — entirely in sync with the Global Majority.

What will persist in the face of the relentless pressure from the Empire of Chaos is the BRICS drive to build a parallel, truly democratic system of international relations. Building a BRICS counterpart to NATO is unnecessary because the SCO operates as a loose alliance.

Professor Michael Hudson has nailed the issue squarely. In his view, "the BRICS countries can’t grow and pay their foreign debts at the same time. These dollar bonds are held by comprador/oligarchical elites "who don't want to hold their own currencies." Thus, "the BRICS countries, in order to grow, have to write down their debts" to overcome the conflicts between vested interests and national interests.

Emphatically, "the domestic parasites need to be dealt with" to enable BRICS to "erect a new international trade and finance structure." The Empire of Chaos will undoubtedly "ally with the local parasites" to sow chaos, induce regime change, and create terror.

The Empire of Chaos's sole leverage over BRICS revolves around a familiar weapon: debt. As Escobar reminds us, the global South's comprador elites crave dollars because they believe the debts they owe cannot be paid off without it. Undoubtedly, the Empire of Chaos will exploit this vulnerability to sustain a dominating position over the BRICS alliance.

As it stands, since the millennium began, US industrial production has inched up by a mere 10%, while economic stagnation has set in since 2019. In contrast, over the same period, China's industrial production has doubled, India's has tripled, and Russia's had risen by an estimated 200%.

Developed NATOstan has not been growing since the pre-Covid 2019 mark. Western Europe reached its peak in 2007-8, and Germany reached its zenith in 2017. Italy's economy has taken a dismal downturn, with industrial production actually decreasing by a whopping 25% since 2000.

A feasible road map for BRICS+ and the Global Majority to counteract the imperial "strategy" of uncontrolled chaos would entail accelerating integration on all fronts, employing Sun Tzu's principles to increase the blowback quotient of Trump 2.0's moves, and forcing silos of the Deep State to make serial miscalculated decisions.

This strategy would unfold in synergy with a BRICS-orchestrated Diversity is Strength strategy, inviting each nation to bring its unique strengths to the common table, building the foundation for a new equitable order capable of dissolving uncontrolled chaos.

Image Source

Original Article: https://www.theburningplatform.com/2025/01/11/empire-of-chaos-reloaded/

Enrichment Data:

Observers note that BRICS nations face internal political tensions and disagreements, particularly concerning issues like foreign policy, economic policies, and regional conflicts.
The BRICS alliance has seen a shift in its priorities and goals over the years, from an initial focus on strengthening economic cooperation to embracing a more geopolitical role in world affairs.
The ascendance of BRICS nations has challenged established powers like the United States and influenced global political and economic relationships.
The contemporary world order is often characterized by a multipolar system, in which multiple centers of power compete for influence and resources. This shift from a unipolar world (dominated by the United States) to a multipolar world has accelerated in recent years.
The rise of BRICS nations has also created new opportunities for trade and investment, as well as shifting the balance of power in key regions like Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The Empire of Chaos, as coined by Pepe Escobar, refers to the efforts of the United States and its allies to maintain and strengthen their global dominance in the face of rising challenges from emergent powers like BRICS nations.
The SCO, or Shanghai Cooperation Organization, is an international political and economic organization that aims to strengthen cooperation between member states in the Asia-Pacific region. Founded in 2001, the SCO includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan holding observer status.
The Axis of Resistance is a term used to describe the alliance between Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Palestinian resistance movements, formed in opposition to Western and Israeli interests in the Middle East.
The Axis of Resistance was first utilized in a public context by the former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who employed the term to denote an alignment between Iran and Syria against Western and Israeli influence in the region.
The SCO's influence has been expanding in recent years, with the organization moving towards addressing regional security issues, promoting economic cooperation, and engaging in increasingly multifaceted discussions on a wide range of global political and economic matters.
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious and sprawling infrastructure project spanning numerous countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa. Launched in 2013, the BRI seeks to create a network of roads, railways, ports, and other transport links, aiming to boost trade and investment across the participating nations.
Frédéric Pierucci, a French scholar of international relations, has argued that BRICS countries use soft power in their international relations, employing cultural, diplomatic, and economic means to boost their influence and standing in the world.
Iran’s significant oil and gas reserves, coupled with its strategic geographical location in the Middle East, make it a critical player in global energy markets and regional politics. These factors also give Iran leverage in its relationships with other nations, particularly in the arena of economic and political cooperation.
The DRC, or Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a nation in Central Africa. The image used in the original article is a photograph from the DRC, taken by the author.

Truth envelops the ongoing power struggles, as the Empire of Chaos, a covert US policy, deploys chaos as a political weapon to destabilize the BRICS alliance. Meanwhile, within this drama, the expectation of a grand Sun Tzu strategy from BRICS remains subdued, as they navigate complex internal dynamics and external pressures.

Politics aside, the looming debts and industrial stagnation in developed NATO nations contrast starkly with the rapid growth witnessed by BRICS countries – a clear indication of their shifting global influence. This new power balance, however, is neither guaranteed nor free from internal challenges, ensuring the geopolitical landscape will continue to shift and evolve in the coming years.