The Image of BRICS in Latin American Media (Cases of Argentina and Mexico)

Kleshchenko Liudmila Leonidovna ORCID: 0000-0002-4172-6583 PhD in Politics Senior lecturer, Department of Political Science, The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia 191186, Russia, g. Saint Petersburg, nab. R. Moiki, 48, korp. 20, kab. 201 ludmila.popova2011@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

IntroductionIn the modern world, not only States, but also various multilateral institutions, both intergovernmental and non—governmental, are becoming actors in world politics.

Trans—regional integration is becoming a new phenomenon - the development of integration interaction between countries belonging to different regions, which has become possible due to the gradual decline in the role of the geographical factor in politics and economics. One example of a trans-regional association is the BRICS, a partnership of Brazil, Russia, India, China and the Republic of South Africa, the largest developing economies in the world. International meetings in the BRIC format, which began in 2006, were held as part of four countries, in 2010 South Africa joined the association, and its modern name was formed. The competence of the BRICS and the range of issues discussed at the meetings of the association is extremely wide and includes various aspects of existing global problems.

The BRICS countries have significant demographic, political, and economic potential. The expert community expresses opinions on the prospect of the transformation of BRICS into the basis of a new world order (BRICS as the basis of a new world order: what are the prospects? URL: https://russiancouncil.ru/analytics-and-comments/analytics/briks-kak-osnova-novogo-miroporyadka-kakovy-perspektivy/). In the context of the restructuring of the entire architecture of the system of international relations taking place in the modern world: the emergence of new global players, the formation of a multipolar world, the destruction of existing financial and economic ties, for Russia's foreign policy, the development of cooperation with the "Global South", as the leader of which the BRICS is positioned, seems extremely relevant. In turn, such cooperation is impossible without the formation and strengthening of a positive image of the BRICS in general and Russia in particular in developing countries, among which Latin American states play an important role. The BRICS Union, whose identity was originally built around the idea of economic growth, is currently at the stage of constructing a new identity, which can be based on the idea of criticizing the Western-centric world order, which is attractive to the population of many countries of the world that have suffered from the costs of neoliberal globalization. In 2022, Argentina applied to join the BRICS, which shows the relevance of this institution for the region.

The study of international institutions in general and international organizations in particular is conducted within the framework of political science, theory of international relations, jurisprudence and other sciences. For this study, the authors involved works on the history and theory of international institutions, which form an idea of the signs, functions, and features of international institutions at the present stage of development: Keohane R. ^[1], Gilligan M. J., Jones L. ^[2]

Among the array of political science literature, it is necessary to highlight the works of specialists devoted to international organizations in general: Archer S. ^[3], Barnett M. N., Finnemore M. ^[4], Clubbers J. ^[5] and BRICS in particular: Korshunov S.A. ^[6], Lipovataya M.S. ^[7], Popova N.V. ^[8], The development of the countries ... ^[9], which analyzed the prospects for the expansion of the BRICS, the main parameters of the BRICS member states, the role of Russia in the BRICS.

The methodological basis of this research is the works devoted to the role of subjective factors in international relations: Wendt A. ^[10], as well as scientific works on imagology: San K., Pasvan A. K., Tislau M. ^[11], since they consider the problems of studying the image of international organizations.

Of great importance for this study are the works devoted to the image of the BRICS ^[12], as well as the image of the BRICS countries ^[13].

Also, the sources of this research are the works of domestic Latin American scholars devoted to the analysis of political processes in the countries of the studied region, in particular, such aspects of the topic as integration processes, their prerequisites and driving forces ^{[14, 15]}, the processes of democratization in the region ^{[16, 17]}, the state of the American subsystem of international relations as a whole ^[18], the role of Latin American States in the world economy and politics ^{[19, 20, 21, 22]}.

The research is based on a constructivist methodology, according to which the image and image of the state or other political actor is a social construct created discursively. The purpose of the article is to identify the specifics of the image of the BRICS in the Argentine and Mexican media. The chronological framework of the study includes the period from 2014 to 2022. Research method: content analysis.

The image of BRICS in the Argentine media One of the features of the media sphere of Argentina is the process of monopolization of the media market, a significant role in this process is played by the media holding "Grupo Clar?n S.A.", which is generally characterized by a skeptical attitude towards the policies of ex-presidents N. Kirchner and K. Kirchner ^{[23, p. 28]}.

The daily newspaper Clar?n has been published in Buenos Aires since 1945 and has an online version.

The online version of the newspaper Clar?n contains both news and analytical materials about BRICS. News reports include reports on events held within the framework of the BRICS, agreements concluded, prospects for Argentina's accession to the BRICS, as well as Argentina's bilateral relations with China or Brazil. The prospects of Argentina's membership in the BRICS, as the publication notes, can bring certain benefits to the country (first of all, access to loans from the BRICS Development Bank). In addition, such membership is seen as an alternative to strengthening the influence of the United States in Latin America and in the world as a whole.

There are also materials where BRICS is mentioned in the context of the prospects of a "New Cold War", including as a possible alternative to the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO). As possible challenges for the Latin American region in the light of the restructuring of the system of international relations, the periphery due to the food and energy crises is called (URL: https://www.clarin.com/opinion/brics-g7-otan-dilemas-sur-global_0_LHBaEAwKCF.html ).

The article "Soviet Heritage in Latin America" is noteworthy, where the Russian presence in the region is criticized. The author notes the strengthening of anti-colonial and anti-Western rhetoric on the part of Russian leaders, which resonates on the continent, where anti-Americanism is traditionally quite widespread. Russia's allies on the continent are labeled as populist and authoritarian regimes, the author notes with regret that no Latin American country has joined the sanctions against Russia. The article mentions BRICS in the context of criticism of Argentina's initiatives to develop cooperation with Russia. The author expresses fears of a decline in the role of Latin America in the world market with an increase in China's imports of raw materials from Russia (URL: https://www.clarin.com/opinion/herencia-sovietica-america-latina_0_ixQ8Pckhvc.html ).

In other materials of the publication, Argentina's policy towards Russia is criticized as insufficiently consistent, and Argentina's non-alignment with anti-Russian sanctions is condemned (URL: https://www.clarin.com/politica/condenar-china-rusia-reclamos-unidos-incomodan-gobierno_0_6njPkIC4pl.html).

The next Argentine edition, La Prensa, also publishes news reports on BRICS events. The slogan of the newspaper is "Freedom, Progress and Civilization". It is the oldest media in Argentina, was founded in 1969. Here the BRICS theme is more often mentioned in connection with the initiatives of Argentine President A. Fernandez, which are generally evaluated more positively. The President's statements on the prospects of Argentina's membership in the BRICS are given (URL: https://www.laprensa.com.ar/517257-Alberto-Fernandez-pidio-la-incorporacion-de-la-Argentina-al-BRICS.note.aspx).

A number of materials contain information about the initiatives of the elected but not yet inaugurated President of Brazil, L. da Silva, which are also evaluated positively. In contrast to the foreign policy initiatives of politicians such as J. Bolsonaro and M. Macri, who, on the contrary, are criticized. The prospects for Argentina's accession to the BRICS are assessed as more favorable if Lula wins the Brazilian presidential election. 

BRICS is also becoming the subject of articles on the potential strengthening of relations between Argentina and Brazil after the change of power in the latter. The role of BRICS in La Prensa materials is often characterized as a pole, an alternative to NATO, an association of states opposed to American unilateralism and for building a multipolar world (URL: https://www.laprensa.com.ar/520978-La-situacion-actual-en-Ucrania.note.aspx ). The publication also considers Russia's foreign policy in this vein. There is a similarity in the approaches of Argentina and BRICS to economic and political development issues. The importance of Argentina's access to new sources of financing in the event of the country's accession to the BRICS is also noted. Argentina's entry into BRICS is also mentioned in connection with the difficulties of this country in interacting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as in connection with the foreign policy activities of A. Fernandez in other regions of the world (URL: https://www.laprensa.com.ar/517117-Alberto-Fernandez-La-Argentina-no-es-ese-pais-sin-destino-que-algunos-quieren-plantearnos.note.aspx).

Another popular publication, Diario Popular, contains fewer mentions of BRICS in quantitative terms, but also covers all significant events and processes: India's support for Argentina's entry into BRICS, BRICS Summits, Argentina's participation in BRICS Summits, the development of Argentina's relations with BRICS member countries. This is a local publication, widely distributed in the south of the country, existing since 1974. In Diario Popular, more attention is paid to the figure of the Vice President of Argentina, K. Kirchner, in connection with the BRICS issues, Kirchner's statements on the topic are often mentioned. For example, the criticism of the former President of Argentina of a skeptical position on the development of BRICS in the British media (URL: https://www.diariopopular.com.ar/politica/cristina-respondio-ingles-criticas-del-financial-times-al-brics-n236621 ) or an assessment of the economic situation in the country (URL: https://www.diariopopular.com.ar/politica/cristina-los-brics-la-argentina-no-va-entrar-default-n197651). Diario Popular also mentions the possible benefits of Argentina joining the BRICS, in particular, it is noted that "joining the bloc will facilitate access to loans and foreign investment due to the possibility of increasing direct investment from member countries" (URL:  https://www.diariopopular.com.ar/economia/dos-escenarios-un-eventual-crecimiento-n197238).

Thus, the BRICS theme is significant for the Argentine media. During the period under review, the media paid great attention to such problems as Argentina's interaction with BRICS and member countries, as well as the prospects for Argentina's entry into this institution. At the same time, the context and tone of appeals to the topic of BRICS in the media under consideration are different: for a publication opposed to the government, an appeal to the BRICS issue is often accompanied by criticism of the president's foreign policy for passivity or inconsistency. Loyalist media, on the contrary, highly appreciate the foreign policy initiatives of A. Fernandez, emphasize his personal role in foreign policy processes and events, including those related to BRICS. At the same time, opposition publications do not dispute the possible dividends from Argentina's accession to the BRICS.

The image of BRICS in Mexican mediaMexico's media has also been affected by the trend of monopolization: Grupo Televisa controls a significant part of the country's television broadcasting.

In the field of print media, there is relative pluralism here, publications of various political orientations are presented. However, the peculiarity of the position of the media in the political system of Mexico is the influence of transnational organized crime on this sphere. Mexico, according to the International Federation of Journalists, is the most dangerous country for journalists (Informe anual de la FIP. URL: https://www.ifj.org/es/centro-de-medios/noticias/detalle/category/health-and-safety/article/ifj-annual-killed-list-mexico-remains-deadliest-country-in-the-world.html). The sources of the study were four Mexican publications characterized by a wide audience coverage and various political and ideological orientations.

The daily La Jornada was founded in 1984, and has had an online version since 1995. La Jornada sympathizes with the left forces, publishes materials of left—wing theorists and thinkers, as well as political figures (among the authors of the publication are Noam Kholmsky, Fidel Castro). La Jornada publishes reviews of the most important events on the development of BRICS, which note the importance of this format of cooperation and its high role in global political processes (for example: "BRICS is an important mechanism for cooperation between developing countries, as well as a platform for South-South cooperation. Since its creation 16 years ago, BRICS has become an active, stabilizing and constructive force at the global level, whose influence and attractiveness are growing every day." URL: https://www.jornada.com.mx/pages/diariodelpueblo-el-ano-brics-de-china-2022/). It is noted that the election of Lula da Silva as President of Brazil in 2022 will be a new impetus for the development of the BRICS format (URL: https://www.jornada.com.mx/notas/2022/11/13/politica/bajo-la-lupa-brics-acelera-el-paso-de-la-multipolaridad-soberanista-mas-de-12-paises-en-fila deespera/?from=homeonline&block=ultimasnoticias). Individual areas of BRICS activity are also covered: investment, trade, ecology (combating climate change), as well as BRICS are mentioned in the context of Russia's foreign policy in other regions of the world.

In general, La Jornada contains materials containing an optimistic view of the prospects for the development of BRICS and the accession of new members to the group, the possible strengthening of BRICS against the background of a decrease in the influence of the G7.

El Universal (Mexico) is the largest Mexican daily publication, whose history dates back to 1916. Analytical and news articles about BRICS are published here. In the author's columns, you can find materials where the contradictions of the BRICS are noted, such as the rivalry between India and China (https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/opinion/jorge-lomonaco/palos-de-ciego-reflexiones-para-un-verano-caliente ) or insufficiently effective cooperation of the BRICS countries in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic (https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/opinion/latinoamerica21/el-aislamiento-de-brasil-en-la-lucha-contra-el-covid-19).

BRICS is mentioned by El Universal in the context of the following topics: China-Mexico relations, Russia-Mexico relations, the election race in Brazil, political processes in South Africa, Russian foreign policy (including Russia's alleged interference in the 2018 Mexican elections), and BRICS appears as a potential counterweight to the G7 in global politics. BRICS is also mentioned when describing the agenda of Russian-Mexican cooperation, and as a possible negotiating platform for the leaders of the countries.

El Heraldo de M?xico also has a large audience. Existing since 1965 , the publication was resumed after a break in 2017 . It is released daily in the capital of Mexico, has an online version. Currently, the publication is dominated by a pro-government orientation. In addition to news materials about BRICS events, El Heraldo de Mexico mentions that the President of Mexico rejected the trade agreement with BRICS, considering it insufficiently profitable in light of the preservation of the traditional economic partnership with the United States (URL: https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/nacional/2022/8/3/amlo-descarta-tratado-comercial-de-mexico-con-el-brics-427387.html). BRICS is also mentioned in the context of the "New Cold War" and the economic rivalry between the United States and China, as well as the fight against the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Animal Politico is the largest online publication about politics, popular among young people. The number of daily updates here is significantly less than in the online versions of the previously named sources. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the BRICS issues are almost not covered here — the latest news about BRICS dates back to 2016.

Thus, for the Mexican media, the BRICS issue is quite significant, the largest publications pay attention to it. The appeal to the BRICS issues is often associated with such a context as relations with the BRICS member states and the influence of political processes in these countries on the BRICS union. Ideological and political differences are manifested in the fact that neoconservative-neoliberal publications are more restrained in relation to the BRICS than the left.

ConclusionLet's summarize the results.

Using the example of the sources considered, it can be concluded that the image of the BRICS in the Argentine and Mexican media is predominantly positive. In addition to informational messages, they publish analytical materials in which BRICS is considered as one of the influential actors in global politics. At the same time, the range of opinions and assessments of the BRICS in the sources is heterogeneous, critical assessments are also presented. It should be noted that there are popular media for which the BRICS theme is not significant, which speaks, first of all, about the pluralism of Latin American media. The sources considered pay great attention to Brazil as the only Latin American country that is part of the BRICS, and Argentina as the only Spanish-speaking country that is preparing to become a member of the BRICS.