At the peak of the British Empire, they controlled all the maritime choke points around the world, ie Gibraltar, Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the Suez Canal, the Malacca Strait through Singapore, the Persian Gulf through Aden etc etc. When the Americans took over from the Brits, they added military bases all over the world, about 800 of them, and the aircraft carrier task forces of the Third Fleet, Fourth Fleet, Fifth Fleet, Sixth Fleet, Seventh Fleet, etc around the oceans of the world. The Americans are still unmatched military with these military forces. The latest American ploy, offering American Coast Guards to patrol and control the coastal waters of nation states, on the pretext of protection but a de facto control of the waters of these states by the Americans, violating their national sovereignties.
No single country in the world is able to take on the Americans militarily till now. But Russia and China and a few countries combined, would be able to put a stop to American adventurism if needed, at least to make the price of military aggression more expensive, and more bloody in terms of American lives. Russia has done it in Syria and in Ukraine.
Countries under American occupation, sanctions and oppression have been trying to break away from the American stranglehold for ages but unable to do so till recently. The rise of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea etc etc has offered countries of the world an opportunity to break free from the Americans and the West, to be really free and independent countries, not living in fear of an invasion, colour revolution, regime change, sanctions or assassination of their heads of states. The Americans are now more circumspect and need to consider the consequences of their belligerence and gangster behaviours.
The recent expansion of BRICS and the big number of states queuing to be members speak a lot about the changing will of the Global South and political geography of the world. BRICS may not have fired a shot at the Americans, but the intent is clear and the strategy to be free of the American hegemony has been put in motion. BRICS is now planning strategically to challenge the American hegemony and dominance in the areas of trade routes, oil and mineral resources. With the inclusion of Egypt, Ethiopia. Saudi Arabia, Iran and UAE, the political landscape of Africa and the Middle East, in particular the Suez Canal, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea are now in the hands of BRICS members. BRICS countries are also controlling a major share of the oil supply and mineral resources needed for industrialisation. And this control would be gaining speed and strength by the day. The next expansion of BRICS would make BRICS a dominant player in the world when more resource rich countries join the bloc.
BRICS is also a major player in the Belt and Road Initiative, controlling trade routes by land and by sea. And the BRICS bank, New Development Bank, with more capital injection from richer members, would provide easier access to funds and not be dictated and controlled by western dominated banks that come with many political strings attached and outrageously high interest rates that they cannot repay, the real western debt traps that many Asian, African and Latin American countries are caught in.
The BRICS challenge to the Americans and the West is economic in nature, control of resources, supply of capital, supply chain, trade routes,communication using 5G and chips, etc etc, and the march towards industrialisation among its members, would only serve to isolate and curtail the influence of America and western dominance. BRICS would grow independently from their own strength in being major producers of oil and resources and can also rely on China and Russia for industrialisation, and of course military hardware for defence against western invasions and warmongering. The BRICS countries would carve out a big piece of the world to develop and flourish at their own time and pace, free from American coercion and exploitation. China has just breached the last hurdle of western hegemony, by developing high end chips and a totally independent supply chain to provide safe and advanced communication equipment for the free world to break free from American oppression.
When the pieces are put together, with BRICS linking up the countries of the Global South, from Latin America, through Africa, the Middle East and Asia, it would be like the country sides surrounding the cities ie Europe and America, the latter would then be encircled and isolated to mind their own business and play their warmongering games among themselves.
The Global South would be the future, the new growth centres and the new rich of the 21st Century...leaving America and Europe behind to enjoy their ageing process alone, far from the vigour of a new world with modernisation, enjoying the fruits of the 4th Industrial Revolution with 5G, 6G, EVs, high speed trains, AI and IOT to boot.
Caveat, the warmongering Americans and Europe would be scheming for WW3 to continue their dominance and control of the Global South, to keep the Global South in debt and in poverty and in unending wars of destruction. BRICS can only survive if China and Russia and others are fully committed to back up BRICS members militarily when attacked by the Americans. You can be sure that the Americans are planning all kinds of things to sabotage BRICS, including planting spies and agents inside BRICS to do their dirty works.