On the one hand, I would like to see BRICs work, on the other hand, we don't because Russia and China would be the worst of the big players in that system.
As much as we have almost lost all free speech in America (Elon is trying to still hold Twitter platform as a free-for-all in speech), Russia and China don't even have a possibility of an Elon type of white-knight to step in. You are imprisoned as soon as you post anything against the government consensus. Plain and simple. Zero freedoms.
And as for corrupt governments, as corrupt as the US is... Russian government gangsters make even Pelosi look like an angel in comparison (ok, so maybe I wouldn't quite ever count her as an angel).
A Russian lays a pipeline, and a German lays the same unit of measurement of a pipeline. The cost that Russia charges is 3x the German rate.
Why? Not because of currencies, or soil changes... it's not because Russia needs to pay pensions for its workers (in fact, Russia pays them LESS!).
The reason the cost is 3x as much, is that Putin SAYS it is, and the cost is inflated. With the excess off the standard rate going right into the private accounts of Putin and his Oligarch buddies. No questions asked. Even the Italians in the roaring 20s didn't dream of skimming so much off the top!
And that, is just ONE area of the never-ending corruption schemes in Russia. They fucked up their communism with widespread corruption, and they are doing the same in capitalism now.
If a person gets lucky and finds themselves a CEO of a blue-chip company in Russia, guess what happens? The government drafts some new charges, or laws, and suddenly one of Putin's friends comes along and legally takes all the shares away (and gives them to himself, not the people).
You now see why the army is a complete joke/mess over there. This type of corruption is non-sustainable. Same mistakes, different government.
