On 10 January, China, Russia, and Iran launched joint BRICS Plus naval exercises in the strategic waters of South Africa. It is being marked as a significant display of military cooperation among countries increasingly aligned against the policies of the administration of President Donald Trump. The timing and composition of these maritime drills have ignited fierce debate within the international community. The warship exercises signal a deliberate show of solidarity. These exercises unfold against an extraordinary geopolitical backdrop: the recent capture and detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces and President Trump’s repeated calls to take over Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark. Concerning this, Denmark, as a NATO ally, hit back at the US, saying, ‘An attack on Greenland would be the end of NATO.’ Moreover, President Trump also issued warnings to several other governments—including those of Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Iran. The threatening environment worsened when President Donald Trump backed a bill to impose sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil. He threatened to impose tariffs of up to 500 percent on imports. The imperialist approach of the United States is threatening the majority of countries all across the world.
The capture of the leader of Venezuela is being seen as an unprecedented action that has sent shockwaves through diplomatic channels. The event has raised fundamental questions about sovereignty, international law, and the limits of US interventionism. What if the US, like Venezuela, captured those countries that are being threatened by it? That’s the reason the BRICS Plus operation is being conducted, aiming to “ensure the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities.” ”.
BRICS is a coalition of countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. And for further expansion, six other countries have been included. The expanded BRICS group includes Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. It is considered a counterweight to the U.S. and Western economic dominance by President Trump’s administration. The administration of President Trump fears that these countries are on a mission of de-dollarization. They are trying to break down the petrodollar monopoly. Therefore, last January, President Trump threatened all its members with an additional 10% trade tariff.
In these backdrops comes the naval exercise in South Africa. Various BRICS Plus members sent their naval forces to a very critical location in South Africa, i.e., Simon’s Town. Simon’s Town is famous for two reasons. First, due to its strategic maritime location. It is located at the junction of two oceans, i.e., the Atlantic and the Indian. Second, it houses habitat for endangered penguins. The multinational naval exercise concluded on 16 January. But it raised concerns due to its conduct during heightened tensions. The relations between the U.S. and many of the BRICS-plus countries, such as China, Iran, and Russia, have become frosty. The U.S. is not happy with both the domestic and foreign policies of these countries.
The government of South Africa denies the allegations of hostility. It stated that the purpose of naval exercise is apolitical. It is to strengthen sovereignty, promote mutual respect, and share commitment to peace and stability. According to the participants of maritime navy drills, this naval exercise was conducted for various reasons. Its aim was to protect key maritime routes and shipping lanes of the world. Moreover, the protection of the economic activities of member countries was also ensured. As many BRICS members were impacted severely by the U.S. trade war, i.e., sanctions (on Iran and Russia) and tariffs (on India and Brazil). Additionally, conducting maritime strike drills and counter-terrorism rescue operations is also one of the reasons for conducting this week-long operation. And lastly, improving coordination and joint operation capacity between these navies was the core of these drills.
The naval exercises of BRICS Plus with Russia and Iran, considering the contemporary landscape, will worsen Pretoria’s relations with the United States. The trio of Iran, the US, and Russia are currently experiencing tense times amid their ongoing conflicts. On many occasions, Iran and Russia have declared that they are at war with the US. Henceforth, if South Africa is enjoying strategic security on the maritime front, then on the other side, it needs to design its policy very carefully on the geopolitical front.
In the time of heightened global tensions, the presence of Russian and Chinese warships at the South African naval base delivers a new perspective. The countries have raised interest in strengthening maritime power. Whether these drills aim to promote stability in international waters or deeper maritime military alignment, they should be analyzed closely. The global world order is sleepwalking towards a swamp of conflicts. Before understanding the positive and negative aspects of maritime or any other military operations, the leaders of the countries must learn the tactics of avoiding conflicts and wars.
All opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent the views of any affiliated institutions or entities.
