by Julius-Anton Bussenius, Lars Feyen, Jill Sophie Haering, Ada Kristine Monstad and Konstantin Müller-Rettstatt
10.10.23
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has opened a rift between Western nations such as the United States or European countries and much of the developing world. No forum offers a more distinct example of the rising ambitions among the latter group than the BRICS. Besides dealing with the Russian attack on Ukraine, other objectives such as an expansion of the BRICS were discussed. How should the EU engage with the BRICS democracies Brazil, India, and South Africa and how should the EU act towards the BRICS autocracies Russia and China? This paper tries to answer these questions by focusing on trade and economy as well as security relations.
Julius-Anton Bussenius obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at Technical University of Braunschweig and will start his master’s in Political Science at Free University of Berlin in October 2023. His focus is on international relations, with a particular interest in foreign and security policy. Julius has been a member of Polis 180 since July 2023.
Lars Feyen has studied International Relations and Romance Languages at the University of Erfurt and East Asian Studies at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. He also spent one year studying at Sophia University in Tokyo. He currently works in audio journalism at Leipzig-based podcast label detektor.fm. Lars co-heads Polis 180’s connectingAsia programme.
Jill Sophie Haering obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology at Heidelberg University in March 2023. During her bachelor studies, she studied abroad at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. Starting in October 2023, she is studying the Master’s programme in International Relations at Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Potsdam.Jill is a member of the executive board of Polis 180.
Ada Kristine Monstad is currently obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Sinology at Free University of Berlin. She is particularly interested in the Chinese economy and foreign relations. Ada has been a member of Polis 180 since May 2023.
Konstantin Müller-Rettstatt studied Law at Humboldt University of Berlin and Kenyatta University in Nairobi. His latest work took him to Accra, Ghana, to work for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. He is interested in international law, international cooperation and security policy. Konstantin has been a member of Polis 180 since 2021.