"Analyzing Saudi Arabia's Potential Decision to Decline BRICS Membership"

There has been a spate of contrasting information recently on the subject of Saudi Arabia's potential admission into the BRICS alliance on January 1st, 2024. According to a Reuters narrative, the resolution concerning whether or not Saudi Arabia will become a part of the bloc remains under consideration. This report further emphasizes that the BRICS agreement has not been endorsed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as they are presently reassessing the perks of entering this alliance. People with knowledge of the matter are asserting that the commencement of 2024 is not the final date for this decision-making. This suggests that invited nations are allowed sufficient room and time for deliberation over their possible inclusion in BRICS. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia's decision regarding their membership in BRICS is purportedly still under contemplation. A well-informed source stated, "Saudi Arabia is assessing the benefits and then will make a decision, there is a process happening." Further confirmation of Saudi Arabia's non-membership in BRICS as of now comes from Faisal Alibrahim, the Kingdom's economy minister. He clarified that the Kingdom is in the midst of an internal process and a verdict will be announced shortly. Alibrahim conveyed to Reuters, "The kingdom is a part of many multilateral platforms and multilateral institutions and whenever the kingdom is invited into one of them it goes through a process that is a multi-step process and at the end of it a decision is made. Right now we are in a similar process and I will comment at the end of it." The delay pertaining to Saudi Arabia's decision to join BRICS seems to be influenced by the escalating conflicts between the USA, China, and Russia. The Kingdom is carefully weighing its options to avoid any possible disadvantageous circumstances and potentially severing ties with the US and the West. In addition to this geopolitical situation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also harbors plans of opening its borders to tourism akin to the United Arab Emirates. A wrong decision at this critical period, when the Kingdom is working towards a certain level of liberalization, could result in significant losses for Saudi Arabia.