For evidence that Brics summits are adopting the routine features of the global governance circuit, observe the familiar jostling during this week’s meeting in South Africa to manufacture an announcement and maintain the impression of forward momentum. 

The closest to a “deliverable”, to use the familiar grating term, is a commitment in principle to expand the grouping’s membership beyond the current five (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Even that’s uncomfortable for India and Brazil, which are concerned about accepting more members strongly aligned with China.

The Brics’ weaknesses as a policymaking forum are evident. The club has insufficient unity of purpose and little ability to enforce decisions. But the difficulty of maintaining coherence within an informal grouping is hardly new. The Brics’ incumbent rival — the G7 club of rich countries for decades regarded as a steering committee for the world economy — has also often struggled for consensus.