This article analyses the motivations behind the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) accession to BRICS on 1 January 2024 and its consequences for Emirati international activity. The research question asks: Has BRICS membership affected UAE foreign policy, and if so, to what extent and in which dimensions? Drawing on document analysis, trade and UN voting statistics, and the scholarly literature, the paper argues that accession to BRICS constitutes a coherent element of the UAE’s long-standing multi-vector strategy. Its impact is measurable in three domains: economic (trade diversification and currency settlement), diplomatic (evolving UN voting behaviour), and narrative (positioning the UAE as a bridge between the Global South and the West). Simultaneously, membership does not entail a retreat from existing strategic alliances but rather their complementation.
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