The Monocle Minute

When the Bric group of emerging economies had its first official meeting in 2009, it was largely seen by the West as a benign development. Here were four countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) keen to become more successful within the global economic order, the rules of which were then dictated by Washington. But it is with a furrowed gaze that Western leaders watch the 16th annual Brics summit (South Africa added the “S” in 2010), which opens in Kazan, Russia, today. There are three reasons for this: Russia, China and Iran (which, along with Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE, joined the group this year).

Moscow, Beijing and Iran seem intent on not just disrupting but destroying the current world order. For their leaders, the Brics provides a forum for legitimising this destruction. On the economic front, Russia and China want to use the summit to push forward proposals for an alternative to the dollar as the world’s go-to reserve currency. This would allow both capitals to more easily circumvent tariffs and sanctions imposed by Washington. A move towards a less centralised economic system would be welcomed by most nations in the Global South, for which the Brics aims to serve as an unofficial spokesperson. The problem for Russia and China is that the leaders they need to convince are not stupid.

Most developing nations do not want to free themselves from one meddling hegemon just to replace it with another. And with the US currently mired in political stasis, many will see it as an advantage to keep playing both sides. New Brics members Ethiopia, Egypt and the UAE, as well as prospective ones, such as Pakistan and Vietnam, are at least as much motivated by exasperation with the ineffectiveness of bodies such as the UN as by any hostility towards the US. Washington and its allies should push hard for reform of the UN and the admittance of more Brics nations to the UN Security Council. This is the best way to ensure that today’s summit remains a forum for disruption rather than destruction.

Alexis Self is Monocle’s foreign editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight subscribe to Monocle today.

A knife-edge majority of 50.39 per cent of Moldovans have voted in favour of trying to join the EU after a referendum beset by allegations of Russian meddling. The slim margin of victory came as president Maia Sandu said that there had been an “unprecedented assault on [the country’s] freedom”. “Last night, Sandu stated that the vote was rigged [against a ‘yes’ vote],” Paula Erizanu, a Moldovan-Romanian journalist from Chisinau, told The Globalist on Monocle Radio.

“Russia has been confirmed to have paid millions of dollars for some 300,000 votes. It’s an astonishing number; more than twice the amount that the security services initially claimed.” The referendum had been expected to pass with ease, so the narrow result leaves Moldova on shaky ground. The Electoral Commission could now invalidate the result, which would harm the country’s chances of obtaining EU membership. Despite the victory, it is perhaps not quite the blow to Putin that a resounding “yes” could have been.

For more on Moldova’s EU referendum vote, tune in to Monday’s edition of ‘The Globalist’ on Monocle Radio.

Tired of being bogged down in time-consuming paperwork relating to minor cycling offences, the Japanese police will soon have a new means of punishing two-wheeled offenders. When the revision of the road-traffic law comes into effect on 1 November, so too will a new “blue ticket” system, which will penalise cyclists for 113 lesser violations with a small fine. Twenty-four more serious offences, such as cycling under the influence of alcohol, will be in the “red ticket” category and will lead to a criminal investigation.

Alcohol is a factor in about 100 serious or fatal bicycle accidents in Japan every year. The numbers for electric scooters are bad too: the country’s National Police Agency announced in September that alcohol was a factor in 40 per cent of e-scooter accidents between January and June this year. Cyclists who use their mobile phones could be facing a hefty fine and prison time too; those offences have more than doubled in the past decade. In Japan at least, it looks like rule-breaking cyclists’ days are numbered.

While most fashion companies claim to be committed to sustainability, Bordeaux-based trainer brand Zèta is walking the talk. Founded by designer and entrepreneur Laure Babin, it uses agricultural waste to make its shoes. Everything in its production chain is derived from recycled materials, including the boxes in which each pair is shipped. Following a partnership with Nespresso on its Re:Ground collection, which used waste from coffee production, the brand’s latest model, the Olea, features a material called Oleatex, developed in Turkey. It’s created from the crushed remnants of olives generated during the production of oil.

To date, the brand has sold 40,000 pairs of shoes through its website, its physical shop in Bordeaux and a network of independent distributors in Europe and Asia. To finance the next phase of its expansion, the company raised capital by inviting customers to become investors to support its research and development of sustainable materials. “Our next project is a 100 per cent biodegradable pair with seeds built into the sole,” says Babin. The idea is that customers will be able to plant their worn-out shoes and give them a second life as flowers and shrubs.

A longer version of this piece features in Monocle’s November issue, which will be on newsstands and released online on Thursday.

Every issue of quarterly independent magazine Delayed Gratification revisits the news events of the past three months. The brand recently published its first book, Misc – A Compendium of Delightfully Random Facts. Monocle spoke with co-founder Rob Orchard about the new publication and the magazine’s fresh look.

Tell us about the new publication.
It’s a joyous book. I started looking at all the research that we compiled for the magazine over the past few months and put together some interesting trivia and stories that we hadn’t yet published. We’d like to release an edition of the book every year if it goes well. I’m really interested in expanding the reach of our brand.

Is it a way to grab new readers for the main title as well?
Certainly. I hope that it will introduce people to the magazine. Other magazines, such as Private Eye, produce interesting annuals and they sell a lot of copies as a result. Misc could be something that we build on every year.

Tell us about some of the recent changes to ‘Delayed Gratification’.
We have redesigned the title and changed the paper stock. Our new printer changed the grain of the paper that we use, which means that we can better utilise on-page space. Our new paper is so clear, so reproduction is bold and vibrant. We now have a culture section and an almanac section at the beginning of the magazine, which enables us to delve into smaller and quirkier stories.

For our full interview with Rob Orchard, tune in to episode 634 of ‘The Stack’ on Monocle Radio.

We find out about Oscar, a ballet based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Plus: artist Sophie Matisse tells us about designing chess sets, and writer and translator Bruna Dantas Lobato discusses her new book, Blue Light Hours.