BRICS in Focus: A Conversation with Dr. Mihaela Papa

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Mihaela Papa joins us to explore the significance of BRICS and its evolving role in reshaping global governance. Dr. Papa begins by examining the importance of this platform, such as the BRICS countries' central role in addressing major global development challenges, and its goals as an organization, such as striving towards a more equitable multipolar world order. She discusses the group’s rapid expansion over the past two years and delves into the key factors driving its growing appeal among countries in the Global South. The conversation focuses particularly on China's role within BRICS, highlighting how it leverages the bloc to advance its strategic objectives on the global stage. Particular attention is given to China's efforts in pushing for innovation and AI cooperation and the bloc’s de-dollarization agenda. Dr. Papa concludes by evaluating the effectiveness of BRICS and examining the strategic implications it presents for U.S. policy.

Dr. Mihaela Papa. Dr. Papa is a BRICS expert from MIT Center for International Studies, where she serves as the Director of Research and Principal Research Scientist. Before joining MIT, she co-founded and led the Rising Power Alliances project and taught sustainable development and global governance at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She began her BRICS research over a decade ago as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Law School and a visiting scholar at Fudan University's Center for BRICS Studies. Dr. Papa has published extensively on the rise of new powers and their coalition-building efforts. Her recent publications in International Affairs and the European Journal of International Relations explore when BRICS converge and how they can challenge the United States. She has also analyzed BRICS's de-dollarization efforts in the Chinese Journal of International Politics and Cambridge University Press Elements and written on the China-India conflict within BRICS in the Global Policy journal. Her commentary was featured in Foreign Affairs and The Conversation, as well as on Bloomberg, BBC, News24, the South China Morning Post, and other media outlets. Originally a trade economist with a BA from Croatia, she completed her MA in Law and Diplomacy and PhD in International Relations at The Fletcher School, Tufts University.