11 more countries just joined BRICS this week

[Fiatless]

I don't necessarily think that democracy is the problem here in Africa, what I sense is that it is being used as a tool to place their puppet in power that does their bidding, because their are other top nations in the world that are operating with democracy, but are doing just fine, though it's obvious that for a big change to happen here in Africa, a military rule is needed because they are the only ones that can easily oppose the western powers and do what's needs to be done without troubles, why the case of Burkina Faso looks very different is that their leader Ibrahim traoré is very smart and intelligent, so with what he has achieve do far while in power, the french powers knows that their is no way back for them if this continues like this unlike other nations that are being govern by military head.

The problem is Western-style democracy. Africa should have adopted a pattern of democracy that suits their culture and tradition. There is nothing wrong with a life presidency if the ruler is doing well. Another tool of control is the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. These organizations are used to manipulate the financial system of African nations and make it dependent on Western aid. The conditions for loans are arranged to favour Western economies, which use the continent as a place for cheap raw materials. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a tool to bully African leaders into doing the bidding of these controlling powers. Very soon, Capt Ibrahim Traoré will be declared wanted by the court for some concocted reasons.

[icebar]

I don't necessarily think that democracy is the problem here in Africa, what I sense is that it is being used as a tool to place their puppet in power that does their bidding, because their are other top nations in the world that are operating with democracy, but are doing just fine, though it's obvious that for a big change to happen here in Africa, a military rule is needed because they are the only ones that can easily oppose the western powers and do what's needs to be done without troubles, why the case of Burkina Faso looks very different is that their leader Ibrahim traoré is very smart and intelligent, so with what he has achieve do far while in power, the french powers knows that their is no way back for them if this continues like this unlike other nations that are being govern by military head.

The problem is Western-style democracy. Africa should have adopted a pattern of democracy that suits their culture and tradition. There is nothing wrong with a life presidency if the ruler is doing well. Another tool of control is the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. These organizations are used to manipulate the financial system of African nations and make it dependent on Western aid. The conditions for loans are arranged to favour Western economies, which use the continent as a place for cheap raw materials. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a tool to bully African leaders into doing the bidding of these controlling powers. Very soon, Capt Ibrahim Traoré will be declared wanted by the court for some concocted reasons.

Western governance has been imposed on Africa for a long time. Their economy and politics have been so heavily reliant on it that they will never be able to move beyond the Western governance. One of the reasons why the World Bank and IMF loan conditions have never been in their favor is that the money they gave them had to be spent only on purchasing raw materials and repaying the loan. If they cannot do anything developmental, they will continue to depend on Western governance for the rest of their lives. They have been held hostage by this strategy for a long time. To move the country forward for development, a good governance system is necessary. If someone tries to maintain a dictatorship for a long time, it will never bring good results for the country. Africa needs to prioritize its own culture and establish a good nation-building system with accountability. If they can do these things, they will definitely be able to see the light of day.

[Oluwa-btc]

The problem is Western-style democracy. Africa should have adopted a pattern of democracy that suits their culture and tradition. There is nothing wrong with a life presidency if the ruler is doing well. Another tool of control is the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. These organizations are used to manipulate the financial system of African nations and make it dependent on Western aid. The conditions for loans are arranged to favour Western economies, which use the continent as a place for cheap raw materials. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a tool to bully African leaders into doing the bidding of these controlling powers. Very soon, Capt Ibrahim Traoré will be declared wanted by the court for some concocted reasons.

This image says it all. I go raving mad when I think about it. This is also one of reasons why I will never insult anyone who's poor with his English and vocabulary. This is Iranian head sparking up the fire in Africans to rise up indirectly. They did this to Africa but they will never do to Iran 🇮🇷


I love the past, I love reading about it(one can draw knowledge from the past as they're stucked with wealth of information for the present and future ). I can mention a few names who said no to the International Monetary Fund, depending on their own resources and also saw their country bloom in Africa. ( Gaddafi,  Thomas Sankara and Sam Nujoma of Namibia ). The same way we have Bitcoin trying to fix the world finance,  we also need something else fixing the World Bank and IMF.

The damage done by the IMF and WB should be motivation enough for every African and Nigerian to support and advocate for the joining of BRICS. The IMF did not just damage Naira bad but also economy with their dirth IMF Bs!

[WillyAp]

This image says it all. I go raving mad when I think about it.

Why don't you check that 1st instead of just believing the victim's role.
 

External colonies were first founded in Africa during antiquity. Ancient Greeks and Romans established colonies on the African continent in North Africa, similar to how they established settler-colonies in parts of Eurasia. Some of these endured for centuries; however, popular parlance of colonialism in Africa usually focuses on the European conquests of African states and societies in the Scramble for Africa (1884–1914) during the age of New Imperialism, followed by gradual decolonisation after World War II.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonisation_of_Africa

[abaeze]

Recently, a news has been widely circulated that India has started trading in rupiah with BRICS, leaving USD which is going towards complete de-dollarisation but later the Indian government said that this claim is wrong or misleading.

Source
Whether the matter is true or false, the main thing is that the US tariff crisis is a common blow, but India is trying to escape from it or derisking, as part of which there is a movement to introduce INR in international work. However, it seems to me that this tariff policy of America is a big threat to a country and because of which different countries of the world are joining BRICS. Now if BRICS can effectively create their own currency instead of the dollar and spread it, then BRICS will really be a strong counter to Europe and America. However, it is not yet clear whether the technical aspect of BRICS Pay will be centralized or decentralized in the future.

[abaeze]

BRICS Unveils First-Ever Paper Currency!


https://x.com/NiveshwithRG/status/1961114426368741612?t=fAF2CPUoCshHHBGpPYLfcg&s
At the SPIEF forum, a 200 BRICS symbolic note was revealed featuring the flags of Russia, China, India, Brazil & South Africa!
A rise of a new world order or start of Dedollarisation!

[pooya87]

Some corrections:

Another thing that can be learned from Iran in the late 1970s, Iran changed from a monarchy to a theocracy (a religious system is the basis of the state and its leaders are the executors of God's commands).

Iran is a religious democracy not a theocracy. It basically means that people elect their officials to build their political system based on their ideology, which in Iran is the Shia Islam since that is the religious of the majority of the population.

The new regime (Ayatollah)

This is colonizer language by the way.

built a new paramilitary force, The Army of Guardian of the Islamic Revolution or what the West calls the IRGC - Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

It is not a "paramilitary force" it is just one of the branches of Iran's armed forces! And it is not what the West calls it, Revolutionary Guards Corp is the literal translation of the name.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is the strongest military force in West Asia.

Armed Forces of Iran is the strongest military force in the world right now.

Although some countries consider them terrorists,

Only the US regime that is supporting and committing the ongoing genocide in Palestine is calling Iranians terrorists because Iran is supporting Palestine is fighting the US backed terrorist organizations including but not limited to ISIS, Israel, al-Qaeda, etc.

Just like how the US regime calls a lot of others who stand against their oppression terrorists. People like Nelson Mandela and ANC who fought the US-backed apartheid in South Africa.

they are soldiers who protect the ruling regime (not soldiers who protect Iran).

That's like saying US air force is there to protect the "ruling regime"

The IRGC is more like a militant organizational structure. One of the IRGC divisions is the Quds Division, where this division controls unconventional warfare and intelligence operations.

Not at all. As I said it is just one of the branches of Iran's military and it has its own responsibilities just like any branch would.
Quds Force is also not what you said, it is just the branch responsible for foreign operations for example during WW4 (war with the NATO backed terrorists) the Quds Force was the one fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq shoulder to shoulder with the people of these countries who fought against the NATO-ISIS coalition.

They are named after the holy city of Quds in Palestine as it is also supporting Palestinians and helping them fight the terrorists occupiers of their country.

The IRGC also manages the majority of Iran's economy through its state-owned enterprises. Therefore, it could be said that the IRGC is an armed conglomerate business corporation.

I don't know where you copy pasted this information from, but you should consider changing your source.

[Fiatless]

This image says it all. I go raving mad when I think about it. This is also one of reasons why I will never insult anyone who's poor with his English and vocabulary. This is Iranian head sparking up the fire in Africans to rise up indirectly. They did this to Africa but they will never do to Iran 🇮🇷


I love the past, I love reading about it(one can draw knowledge from the past as they're stucked with wealth of information for the present and future ). I can mention a few names who said no to the International Monetary Fund, depending on their own resources and also saw their country bloom in Africa. ( Gaddafi,  Thomas Sankara and Sam Nujoma of Namibia ). The same way we have Bitcoin trying to fix the world finance,  we also need something else fixing the World Bank and IMF.

The damage done by the IMF and WB should be motivation enough for every African and Nigerian to support and advocate for the joining of BRICS. The IMF did not just damage Naira bad but also economy with their dirth IMF Bs!

These powers don't want Africa to develop. Any leader who comes up with policies that will industrialize Africa will be silenced. They connived with saboteurs and killed Patrice Lumumba, Sylvanus Olympio, Thomas Sankara and Murtala Muhammed. Most of the current leaders of Africa are Western puppets used to plunder African resources. These African leaders sacrifice their people for crumbs from Western tables.   

[abhiseshakana]

Some corrections:

Another thing that can be learned from Iran in the late 1970s, Iran changed from a monarchy to a theocracy (a religious system is the basis of the state and its leaders are the executors of God's commands).

Iran is a religious democracy not a theocracy. It basically means that people elect their officials to build their political system based on their ideology, which in Iran is the Shia Islam since that is the religious of the majority of the population.

In my analysis, it's more of a theocracy with elements of democracy, as the system's foundation is rooted in theocracy, with the final decision rested with the clerics (Supreme Leader & Council of Guardians). What I've also learned in my studies is more accurately described as a theocratic republic or authoritarian hybrid regime. So, it's not a liberal democracy like in the West, but rather a very limited democracy within the framework of Shia Islamic theocracy.

The new regime (Ayatollah)

This is colonizer language by the way.

The term regime in political science is often used not only for negative connotations, but also to refer to a stable, institutionalized system of power with specific characteristics. Thus, when Ayatollah Khomeini's government is referred to as the Khomeini regime or the Islamic regime of Iran, it refers to the new political system he established after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. In international political literature, any system of government with ideological or authoritarian characteristics is often called a regime, for example, the Stalin regime, the Mao regime, the Nazi regime, and even Western liberal democratic regimes. Thus, the term is neutral in political studies, although in everyday conversation it often carries a negative tone.

built a new paramilitary force, The Army of Guardian of the Islamic Revolution or what the West calls the IRGC - Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps.

It is not a "paramilitary force" it is just one of the branches of Iran's armed forces! And it is not what the West calls it, Revolutionary Guards Corp is the literal translation of the name.

As I know, In Iran, the military is divided into two main pillars:

Artesh (National Army/Conventional Armed Forces), tasked with maintaining traditional territorial defense (land, air, and sea) inherited from the previous regime, which is professional and politically neutral. The IRGC (Pasdaran/Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution), formed by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution. Its task is to protect the revolution, the ideology of the Islamic Republic, and the clerical leadership (Rahbar/Supreme Leader).

The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Pasdaran) is indeed part of the Iranian armed forces, but it holds a unique position, more important and politically superior than the regular military (Artesh). They are the guardians of the revolution and the pillar of the Rahbar's power. The West calls them a state within a state because of their role in military, political, economic, and shadow diplomacy.

If we consider the IRGC as a whole, the answer isn't paramilitary, but within the IRGC, there are units that are indeed paramilitary in nature. One branch of the IRGC is the Basij (a paramilitary people's militia numbering millions of men, students, workers, and even women, trained for security operations, demonstration control, and guerrilla warfare). However, it is not equivalent to a professional army. The West sometimes calls the IRGC "paramilitary" because of its ideological nature.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is the strongest military force in West Asia.

Armed Forces of Iran is the strongest military force in the world right now.

The Iranian army is not the strongest in the world, but it is strong in the  regional context, especially in terms asymmetric strategies and proxy warfare, and ideological defense through the IRGC. If a direct war were to occur against a modern global power ( US, Russia, or China), Iran would be quite vulnerable, but asymmetric strategies could inflict significant losses on its opponents. In terms of military modernity and regional influence, the IRGC is more powerful than the Artesh. While the Artesh remains important for conventional defense, the IRGC is the backbone of Iran's military strategy, particularly in modern warfare, missiles, and foreign operations/proxy warfare.

Although some countries consider them terrorists,

Only the US regime that is supporting and committing the ongoing genocide in Palestine is calling Iranians terrorists because Iran is supporting Palestine is fighting the US backed terrorist organizations including but not limited to ISIS, Israel, al-Qaeda, etc.

Totally agree with your opinion on this matter.

they are soldiers who protect the ruling regime (not soldiers who protect Iran).

That's like saying US air force is there to protect the "ruling regime"

It's very different if the US Air Force is in Iran, it means an invasion. Meanwhile, the IRGC, formed by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution, is tasked with protecting the revolution, the ideology of the Islamic Republic, and the leadership of the ulama (Rahbar/Supreme Leader), currently held by Ayatollah Khomeini.

The IRGC is more like a militant organizational structure. One of the IRGC divisions is the Quds Division, where this division controls unconventional warfare and intelligence operations.

Not at all. As I said it is just one of the branches of Iran's military and it has its own responsibilities just like any branch would.

Its organizational structure is militant. This means intensive physical and military training, combat readiness, and a focus on asymmetric and conventional warfare. It is ideologically oriented and must be loyal to the Supreme Leader. It can operate on land, sea, and air, in cyberspace, and through proxy warfare. It also has global Special Forces capabilities, and combat operations in other countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. All branches of the IRGC have a history of militancy in addition to their primary functions.

The Quds Force (Jerusalem Forces) is a special unit of the IRGC responsible for overseas operations. It supports Iranian-allied groups abroad and supports Islamic and Shia revolutionary movements in the Middle East, while protecting Iran's strategic interests.

The IRGC also manages the majority of Iran's economy through its state-owned enterprises. Therefore, it could be said that the IRGC is an armed conglomerate business corporation.

I don't know where you copy pasted this information from, but you should consider changing your source.

The IRGC is not only a military force, but also an economic and political force in Iran. They control strategic sectors, financially support military operations and revolutionary exports, while also being a dominant economic player influencing the country. Since 1980, the IRGC has been involved in development projects following the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, initially aiming to help reconstruct strategic infrastructure and industries and fund military operations and their proxies. Over time, their involvement has expanded to include the private sector, construction, energy, and international trade. Many official IRGC companies appear to be private businesses.  They manage imports and exports directly, even circumventing international embargoes. Many economic projects are linked to loyalty to the Supreme Leader. The IRGC isn't always the official owner of state-owned enterprises, but it does de facto control many of them and strategic projects. They use subsidiaries, contractors, and political networks to control economic sectors crucial to the country's defense, energy, and ideology.

I majored in international relations, and Middle Eastern studies was one of the subjects I studied for two semesters. So if any of my explanations are not factual or irrelevant, I am very open to corrections and discussion.

[Cossyblack]

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is the strongest military force in West Asia.

Armed Forces of Iran is the strongest military force in the world right now.

Watch

The West saw how Iran demonstrated 1% of their military might at Israel,a show of force that almost crippled Israel. Israel tremble before Iranian military, the West fears the mightiness of the Iranian arm forces,their growing power threatens US influence in the Middle East. If IRAN military isn't the strongest in the world, I believe the West would have invaded Iran by now.

[pooya87]

By the way if you want to see EU's so called "might" and the way China sees them, just check out the video of the recent visit of the EU leaders to China (China-EU summit) and how they were received.

The Chinese officials didn't even receive them at their plane, these EU leaders were just put them on a bus like peasants and were brought forth to the Chinese president to kiss his hands

Remember this? Compare that to how China received Indian Prime Minister, Modi who just visited China for the SCO summit thing. Or other members like Iran...

Artesh (National Army/Conventional Armed Forces),

One of the reasons I doubt your sources is little stuff like this, maybe I'm reading too much into them but there are a bunch of these things. For example using the term Army to define Artesh. You see when translating from Persian to English or vice versa, there is this common mistake where they translate Army as ارتش (reads Artesh). This is a common mistake I see in, lets just say "certain" sources.

tasked with maintaining traditional territorial defense (land, air, and sea) inherited from the previous regime, which is professional and politically neutral. The IRGC (Pasdaran/Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution), formed by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution. Its task is to protect the revolution, the ideology of the Islamic Republic, and the clerical leadership (Rahbar/Supreme Leader).

Mostly wrong.
Both Artesh and Sepah are branches of the military and with the Faraja (police) form the Armed Forces of Iran. They each have similar responsibilities (air force, navy, army, air defense, etc.) with different tactics therefore different equipment.

For example the Artesh navy is referred to as the "strategic navy" and has the big vessels (Heavy Submarines, Afloat Forward Staging Base, Aircraft Carrier, etc.) while Sepah navy is mostly known for is high speed and overwhelm with numbers tactics (has the light/small stealth submarines, ultra-fast missile boats, etc).

The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Pasdaran) is indeed part of the Iranian armed forces, but it holds a unique position, more important and politically superior than the regular military (Artesh).

Wrong. By law, members of military are prohibited from getting involved in the politics. For example in case of IRGC if any of them is seen breaking that law, they'll have to answer to "internal intelligence protection" (it's like internal affairs).

I believe this is the article in Iran's constitution: https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/91404
In article 6.B. it clearly states that members of the armed forces are absolutely prohibited from entering politics, joining political parties, etc.

If we consider the IRGC as a whole, the answer isn't paramilitary, but within the IRGC, there are units that are indeed paramilitary in nature. One branch of the IRGC is the Basij (a paramilitary people's militia numbering millions of men, students, workers, and even women, trained for security operations, demonstration control, and guerrilla warfare).

Even if it had paramilitary branches it wouldn't make it a paramilitary.
Basij is also not a paramilitary force, it is like the equivalent of volunteer workers who do a wide range of stuff. For example if you are a medical specialist you can join Basij and through them go to far away villages that are still underdeveloped or don't have easy access to or money for such services and work for them voluntarily (for free). Similar if you are a dentist, architect, engineer, simple construction worker, and so on.

They also have training courses too. For example the teenagers usually join the military training thing (basically go to a shooting range) because there is the option that would help them shave off some months from their mandatory military service (conscription).

The Iranian army is not the strongest in the world,

Actually Iran's military is the strongest in the world. Different branches may be different for example air-force is lagging behind a little bit but Iran's army (meaning ground forces) is actually the strongest in the whole world by far because it is currently the most technologically advanced one in the modern warfare and has the largest numbers. Most important of all is that it has the best experience thanks to the war with the NATO-Takfiri axis during WW4 (the US regime's war of terror) for decades.

Another thing to remember considering the today's nature of warfare is that Iran is literally the inventor of Drone Warfare and started it all back in the 80's, something the West is just learning about during their war with Russia. That's a conflict where one of Iran's oldest drone (~20 generation old Shahed-136) changed the tides in favor of Russia and after 3 years US military managed to reverse engineer it and build a weak rip-off version of it for a much higher cost with far less capabilities!

If a direct war were to occur against a modern global power ( US, Russia, or China), Iran would be quite vulnerable

It already happened. I mentioned WW4, but there is also the NATO adventure in June this year where they got crushed in only 12 days. That was the first "Coup War" type of conflict in history (that's a new terminology), something that failed miserably.

In terms of military modernity and regional influence, the IRGC is more powerful than the Artesh. While the Artesh remains important for conventional defense, the IRGC is the backbone of Iran's military strategy, particularly in modern warfare, missiles, and foreign operations/proxy warfare.

As I said the different branches serve different purposes and they are not separate like the way you keep describing them. Artesh is just as part of Iran's military doctrine in modern warfare as Sepah is. For example if Sepah has its Shahed loitering munitions, Artesh as its Arash loitering munition. If Artesh has its frigates the missiles are built by Sepah.
They are not separate entities, they are both part of the Armed Forces of Iran and work under command of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

It is ideologically oriented and must be loyal to the Supreme Leader.

That's a strange way of putting it! One of the roles of the leader in Iran's constitution is as the commander-in-chief. To put simply in the hierarchy of the military he is the top commander!

The Quds Force (Jerusalem Forces)

Another one of those indications. This branch has one name: Quds Force. The name in parenthesis is the name occupiers want to use for the holy city of Quds in Palestine that they are occupying for the time being.

Since 1980, the IRGC has been involved in development projects following the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, initially aiming to help reconstruct strategic infrastructure and industries

Armed Forces of any country have a lot of capabilities and equipment that at times of peace would be placed in some storage gathering dust. Capabilities and equipment (eg. heavy machinery for construction, engineering branch, etc.) that can and should be used to build infrastructure in the country.
In most countries, the military is one side of such contracts using those capabilities at times of peace.
Google USACE and the contracts they have had.

And again this is the military not just one branch of it.

their proxies.

Iran has no proxies.

I majored in international relations, and Middle Eastern studies was one of the subjects I studied for two semesters. So if any of my explanations are not factual or irrelevant, I am very open to corrections and discussion.

"Middle East" is another term in colonizer talk
The correct term in this context is West Asia.

[abhiseshakana]

- snip -

Thank you very much for the information and knowledge you shared and explained.

I greatly appreciate your perspective and argumentation. I acknowledge that yours is stronger, especially since you are more in touch with the source and context of the issue. Your information has opened new horizons for me, and I have learned a lot from you. In the future, I will consider your writings and opinions on Iran as references.

[CTO114]

Interesting the BRICS member countries have come together with the intention of having more of a global voice, and this union will on lly expedite their desire.