An Analysis of the Legitimacy of the BRICS in the International System
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An Analysis of the Legitimacy of the BRICS in the International System by Avianne Gilbert A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MA International Relations in the Department of Political Sciences at the UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA FACULTY OF HUMANITIES SUPERVISOR: SITHEMBILE MBETE March 2019 Declaration I, Avianne Gilbert, declare that the dissertation, which I hereby submit for the degree MA International Relations at the University of Pretoria, is my own work and has not been submitted by me for a degree at another university. Where secondary material is used, this has been carefully acknowledged and referenced in accordance with university requirements. I am aware of University policy and implications regarding plagiarism. i Abstract The emergence of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) as a coalition acting within the global governance architecture has been met with great levels of scepticism, pessimism and guarded enthusiasm. However, after ten years in existence, the BRICS countries have continued to consolidate relations among themselves, strengthen and expand their cooperation structures, institutionalise their operations and engage other members of the international community in achieving the mission of BRICS. The journey of the BRICS has been one of establishing its legitimacy as a relevant actor and carving out a space for it to act out its corporate identity. This study therefore explores the question of how BRICS went about establishing its legitimacy as an actor in the international system and the reception it received from other members of the community. Using a qualitative desktop study, the research is undergirded by a constructivist theoretical framework, as laid out by Wendt (1992) and an English School framework described by Bull (1977). Two of the underlying assumptions based on these two theoretical foundations are that actors are engaged in constant activities to legitimise their existence and that the identity of the BRICS grouping requires validation by other members of the international system in order to assume legitimacy. The study develops a set of criteria to assess legitimacy based on the literature concerning constructivist thought, as well as the English School’s depiction of a society of states and definitions of legitimacy spelled out by Clark (2005) and Hurrell (2005). The four criteria used are: acts of legitimation, social agreement, framing and changing the rules. The study reveals the non-linear and negotiated process engaged in by the BRICS to establish its legitimacy, highlighting the deliberate acts undertaken to carve out an identity and to elicit agreement on the acceptable range of its conduct in global affairs. The study brings together literature on the BRICS with literature on legitimacy to shed light on the application and significance of issues of legitimacy in international relations. KEYWORDS Legitimacy, BRICS, International System, Global Governance, Constructivism, Society of States, Framing, Acts of Legitimation, Agenda Setting, Social Agreement, Contestation, Delegitimation, ii Dedication To my husband and our children. iii Acknowledgements I wish to thank: My supervisor, Dr Sithembile Mbete, for her support and timely advice and guidance. The librarians at the University of Pretoria, for providing a wealth of resources and guidance and for their persistent willingness to assist. My husband, for his unending support, feedback and encouragement and for accompanying me on this journey. iv Abbreviations and Acronyms AU African Union BASIC Brazil, South Africa, India, China BRIC Brazil, Russia, India and China BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa COP Conference of Parties DIRCO Department of International Relations and Cooperation EU European Union Eurostat European Union’s Statistical Office G7 Group of Seven G8 Group of Eight G20 Group of Twenty G77 Group of Seventy-seven GDP Gross Domestic Product GHG Greenhouse Gas IBSA India, Brazil and South Africa IMF International Monetary Fund INDCs Intended Nationally Determined Contributions NAM Non-Aligned Movement NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NDB New Development Bank NIEO New International Economic Order R2P Responsibility to Protect RwP Responsibility while Protecting UN United Nations UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNGA United Nations General Assembly UNSMIS United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria UNSC United Nations Security Council US United States of America WTO World Trade Organisation v Table of Contents Declaration .................................................................................................................. i Abstract ....................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iv Abbreviations and Acronyms ...................................................................................... v CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ..................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Overview of literature on BRICS ................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Defining the BRICS .................................................................................... 2 1.2.2 The Question of Membership ................................................................. 4 1.2.3 Incoherence and internal tensions in BRICS .......................................... 6 1.2.4 New Economic Order and Global Governance ....................................... 7 1.2.5 The New Imperialism .............................................................................. 9 1.2.6 A Fleeting Phenomenon? ..................................................................... 11 1.3 Research Problem ...................................................................................... 12 1.4 Research Methodology ............................................................................... 15 1.5 Limitations ................................................................................................... 18 1.6 Structure of the Study ................................................................................. 18 CHAPTER TWO: Theoretical Framework and Review of Relevant Literature ......... 20 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 20 2.2 Constructivism ............................................................................................. 20 2.3 The Society of States .................................................................................. 22 2.4 Definitions of Legitimacy ............................................................................. 24 2.5 Analytical Framework .................................................................................. 26 2.5.1 Acts of Legitimation .............................................................................. 27 2.5.2 Social Agreement ................................................................................. 28 vi 2.5.3 Framing ................................................................................................ 28 2.5.4 Changing the Rules .............................................................................. 29 2.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER THREE: BRICS’s Pursuit of Legitimacy ................................................. 32 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 32 3.2 Identity Formation of the BRICS .................................................................. 33 3.3 Institutionalisation ........................................................................................ 39 3.4 Economic Success as a Legitimising Factor ............................................... 42 3.5 Outreach ..................................................................................................... 47 3.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 50 CHAPTER FOUR: BRICS as a Political Actor in the UNSC ..................................... 51 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 51 4.2 Libya ........................................................................................................... 52 4.3 Syria ............................................................................................................ 59 4.4 Analysis of the BRICS Tenure on the UNSC .............................................. 69 4.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER FIVE: Setting the Agenda Through Climate Change Engagements ....... 74 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 74 5.2 Emergence and Manifestation of BRICS’s Agency on Climate Change .....