What is it in Quad for India?

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue,(the Quad) emerged in 2007 as an informal association focusing on ‘security’ and gained momentum when the four founding members – India, Australia, the United States, and Japan decided to revive the dialogue process in light of the growing threat of China in the South China Sea region. Thehistoric 2021 Declaration, ‘Spirit of the Quad’, candidly mentioned that, “Together, we commit to promoting a free, open rules-based order, rooted in international law to advance security and prosperity and counter threats to both in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. We support the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity. We commit to work together and with a range of partners”.The genesis dates back to Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s Arc of Democracythat revolved around a normative formationbased on liberal values and beliefsof like-minded political systems.This revival of the Quadbrings together two critical domains – diplomatic and the maritime.

For the Quadmembers China is the elephant in the room. The whole democratic – liberalorder rationale itself is indicative of China’s authoritarian ubiquity in the region either militarily or economically.

Quad brings together maritime democracies across the Pacific and seeks to bond on the belief of establishing ‘an order based on democracy and liberal values’ and avoids any open reference to military engagement.It adopts an overall security approachand has an assortment of concerns and commitments – freedom of seas, environmental issues, global vaccination, exchange of critical technologies, denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and challenges to democracy in Myanmar.Yet, it is interesting to note that the Quad members are already looped in a network of bilateral military and strategic relationships.Australia’sinclusion in the Malabar Naval Exerciseindicatessoliciting of the ‘might’ component of the Quadthat gives a distinct indication of the strategic interests of the grouping in consonance with the geopolitics of the region. The ‘QuadPlus’ mechanism involving Canada and France, New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam provides avenues to other stakeholders for a say in grouping.

For the Quadmembers China is the elephant in the room. The whole democratic – liberalorder rationale itself is indicative of China’s authoritarian ubiquity in the region either militarily or economically. Thus, Quadhas tocalibrate its approach to grapple with China’s expansion into supply chains, production, manufacturing, banking networks, name it, the Chinese are quite indelible in their imprint in the region.The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) initiative has already spread the tentacles far and wide whichQuad is striving to counter through Expanded Partnership for Quality Infrastructure, Blue Dot Network Process and Resilient Supply Chain Initiative. Quad as a loose value-based arrangement oscillating between military and non-military moorings has its own uniqueness in translating international ordering in a much more flexible manner vis-a-vis China-dominated rigid international ordering.

In the last decade or so, with the emerging thaw in relations with the US on the one hand, and confrontations with China on the other India’s foreign policy has witnessed significant readjustment. But the entire rationale behind joining the Quad should not be boxed in the Sino- India binary as India addresses bilateral and strategic concerns strategic separately. What India expects in strategic terms is balancing China’s territorial aggrandisement with some form of maritime balancing through the Quad through maritime exercises and other cooperative mechanism with the Quad members.Quad is also expected to strengthen India’s bilateral strategic engagements with Quad and Quad-Plus members.

Quadis also predicted to yield economic dividends for India. In face of Covid-19 pandemic, the Quad has pledged to expand vaccine production and strategize equitable distribution across the region. India will benefit from this scheme as it is set to produce the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Vaccine financed both by US and Japan and logistically supported by Australia.Before the pandemic India’s bilateral trade with the Quad countries were valued at aroundU$200 billion and net investment from the Quad countries were overUS$50 million. In the post Covid-19 recovery scenario, India is projected to make a robust recovery better than the other three members, which is an added incentive for the QUAD members like to engage with India.

Dr Ishani Naskar

Dr Ishani Naskar is a Professor at the Department of International Relations, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India