Why South Africa needs BRICS, and why BRICS needs South Africa
South Africa hoped to achieve several long-term goals by joining BRIC. It wanted to prevent its own marginalization and to maintain its positions as the leader of the African continent. The country also has growing interest in cooperation with Russia. That cooperation is being held back by the lack of proper coordination between government agencies and commercial entities in both countries. Professor of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences vladimir Shubin examines the issue.