President Claudia Sheinbaum faces growing challenges balancing domestic security priorities with US relations under the renewed Trump administration. Inheriting AMLO's failed "hugs, not bullets" anti-cartel strategies, Sheinbaum has pursued Mexican intelligence centralization and cautious, limited cooperation with Washington. However, tensions have escalated over migration enforcement and economic policies, including new tariffs on Mexican goods and taxes on remittances. Despite reporting reduced fentanyl trafficking, Sheinbaum must continue to navigate these complex diplomatic pressures while maintaining Mexico's socioeconomic interests and as the US-Mexico relationship faces a new era.

Since 2009, BRICS, originally comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has evolved from a bloc of 10 of the world’s largest developing economies to a growing adversary of the West. With the recent inclusion of 5 new countries—Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia, BRICS now accounts for a quarter of the global economy and nearly half of the world’s population. This article explores BRICS’ progress towards its two primary goals—reducing global reliance on the US dollar and challenging Western hegemony and the US-dominated global order.