“One key theme in Anwar’s writings is civilisational history, which is echoed in his borrowing of the word Madani (‘civilised’) to brand his administration and the theme of Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship (‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’). He argues that the West has imposed a universalist notion of progress upon its contemporaries, which overrides the legitimacy of other civilisations’ worldviews. This can be remedied through geopolitical multipolarity, as other powers grow in influence and offer smaller nations like Malaysia room for manoeuvre. From this vantage point, BRICS functions as a platform for negotiation for rising powers on convergent policy issues.”
“Furthermore, BRICS can be a forum for Islamic countries to promote their priorities. Despite its inception as a disparate grouping of large emerging economies, BRICS has in the past two years processed applications from Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This has given the grouping a new focus. For example, the Middle East and North Africa were heavily featured in the outcomes of the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio.”
“Yet, aside from compatibility between Anwar’s beliefs and BRICS’ rhetoric, the question is whether BRICS membership can deliver tangible benefits to Malaysia.”
“The ability of BRICS to deliver economic benefits is also limited. Malaysia already has established economic ties with most of the grouping’s current membership through ASEAN and its associated free trade agreements. Furthermore, structural differences between members impede concerted action in other areas. For example, de-dollarisation, a major geoeconomic initiative the group wishes to advance, means different things to different members. Full de-dollarisation is motivated by a desire to liberate members of US influence that could be ‘weaponised’: Russia and China push hardest as they have the most to gain. Indonesia and India are more interested in the cost-saving and risk-minimising effects of using local currencies in settlements.”
https://fulcrum.sg/building-brics-anwars-worldview-and-malaysias-foreign-policy/