Questions loom at Brics Rio summit about group's effectiveness
Against the backdrop of relentless tension that US President
Donald Trump has injected into America's trade policy, this year's gathering on July 6 and 7 will test whether the bloc can present a unified front capable of countering Trump's efforts to revamp global economic engagement on his terms without antagonising the US leader.
The prospects for a convincing show of unity are unclear at best.
In April, Brics foreign ministers failed to issue a joint communique after disagreements over language advocating that bloc members
Brazil
India and
South Africa gain permanent UN Security Council seats.
Yet weeks later, the same countries aligned to sign a statement condemning
American and Israeli military strikes on
Iran , a newer Brics member, calling the attacks violations of international law.
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