After the end of the Cold War, new demands and possibilities arose for intermediate contries to share responsibilities and to play more assertive roles in international politics. Brazil, India and South Africa are widely recognized as key players in their own regions and share several attributes and domestic and international challenges. The launching of the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum, also known as IBSA, in 2003, was an initiative by the three contries to join efforts to respond to these challenges. The IBSA initiative pursues a broad political agenda, but poses a unique opportunity to study the potential and actual roles of key intermediate states in international security and the prospects for South-South.