Bric by bric
That’s right…it’s not a misspelling but the acronym for the upcoming economic powerhouse countries that are set fair to surpass America to become the drivers of the world economy within a decade. The acronym stands for; Brazil, Russia, India and China.
The signs are already there; the US dollar is loosing primacy as the world’s reserve currency; a fact not only highlighted by its weakening rate of exchange and underscored by a weakening US economy but also by the ever increasing reluctance of people willing to accept it.
Take Gisele Bundchen, the world’s richest supermodel: determined to remain the richest supermodel, she is demanding payment in euros instead of dollars. A growing number of the OPEC countries are considering the same, notably Iran, Venezuela and (pre invasion) Iraq.
Now Russia is reported to be considering following suit but with a slight twist: It is considering asking for payment for its oil and gas in Roubles; a testament to the rising confidence of the BRIC nations.
As we see an expansion of these countries sphere of influence (as is natural with all rising economic powers), could we also see their languages gaining primacy within these spheres?
It happened with the countries that Russia aided during the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. It now seems to be happening in Africa and some South American countries, where China is a large provider of loans and aid…could it be that the language de rigueur in growing areas could be Russian or Chinese again?