S. L. Narasimhan
The annual Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Japan on July 29, during which the Quad members—Australia, India, Japan, and the United States—convened to discuss the progress made and future actions of the Quad. The meeting comes amid global geopolitical conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and China’s increasing aggression in the West-Pacific. India is expected to host a Quad Leaders’ Summit later in 2024.
Q1: Is the Quad a security grouping?
A1: The Quad emanated from a core partnership group that was established by Australia, India, Japan, and the United States to coordinate humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts after the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The four countries formally started the Quad in 2007; however, it fizzled out after the first meeting. It was revived in 2017, at a time when the bilateral relationships between these four countries had improved significantly.
Several analysts have referred to the Quad as the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.” However, none of the four countries that form the Quad have officially called the Quad a security grouping. The only two security-related subjects that the Quad covers are cybersecurity and maritime security, both of which can be considered nontraditional security subjects. Therefore, one can conclude that the Quad is not a security grouping.
Q2: Is “Squad” the new Quad?
A2: The “Squad” is an informal Indo-Pacific grouping that is comprised of Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States. The calls for the creation of the Squad seem to be in response to the recent dangerous maneuvers in the South and East China Seas and the frequent stand-offs between China and the Philippines in the Second Thomas Shoal.
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