LARGE ALLIANCES AMONG EMERGING POWERS

Emerging powers are weaving alliances and reciprocal economic and political links that are modifying the traditional world order between the center and the periphery, developed and under-developed countries, and the planet's North and South. One of the major movements in that sense is the IBSA Forum, formed by three democratic nations India, Brazil and South Africa which will hold its third summit meeting in New Delhi, next October 15th, writes Marcio Pochmann, Brazilian economist and President of the Institute of Applied Economics Research (IPEA). Along with expanding their economies in recent years, the three nations have increased their presence in the global economy. In 1975, the IBSA member countries amounted to 3.7% of the world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while in 2006 that figure grew to 4.8%. In 1975, India, Brazil and South Africa accounted for 2.1% of world exports, and in 2006 that total grew to 2.9%. IBSA's expansive trend is parallel to that of most of developing countries, which in 1970 amounted jointly to 25% of world exports, while in 2006 that total was more than 41%. Trade among Southern countries has grown in an even larger proportion.