Although the Brics offers advantages, it will not always make sense to go along with its decisions, say Peter Draper and Catherine Grant.

"In Hong Kong in December last year, I watched as South Korean farmers, in a sophisticated military-style operation, engaged the police in a fierce melee outside the convention centre. Their struggle, as Peter Mandelson reminded us later the same day is to maintain their privileges in the face of potential liberalisation through the Doha round," writes Peter Draper.

Although the Brics offers advantages, it will not always make sense to go along with its decisions, say Peter Draper and Catherine Grant.

"In Hong Kong in December last year, I watched as South Korean farmers, in a sophisticated military-style operation, engaged the police in a fierce melee outside the convention centre. Their struggle, as Peter Mandelson reminded us later the same day is to maintain their privileges in the face of potential liberalisation through the Doha round," writes Peter Draper.