Abstract
The impact of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and other emerging economies on the field of international development has seen traditional donor nations wrestle with fundamental shifts in the geometry and makeup of the donor community. This has resulted in asymmetrical power relations in organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) finding new modes of expression, as the one-way flows of cultural imperialism have given way to the multidirectional uncertainties of globalization. We question how the traditional aid donor community has taken this new geometry into account using discourses surrounding South-South cooperation as a focal point for analysis. The analysis engages with evolving discourses of indifference, skepticism, fear, integration, and conciliation, revealing complex tensions between the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee membership, BRICS, and the motivations for aid effectiveness debates.