The 17th BRICS Summit has just concluded in Rio de Janeiro, acknowledging the leading force of the Global South as BRICS countries remain committed to upholding independence and self-reliance, while demonstrating a sense of responsibility, and playing a greater role in building consensus and synergies. How does this pledge resonate in today's global tumultuous landscape as more countries are choosing to join or align with the BRICS platform? In this edition of The Hub, Wang Guan sat down with Anna Rosario Malinger-Uy, vice president for external affairs at the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, to discuss how the BRICS mechanism is now widely seen in the Global South as an alternative to the Western "strings attached" approach. And 80 years after the victory in the global war against fascism, what lessons can be drawn in this age of uncertainty?