Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

The Quad
Established2007 (1st time); lasted until 2008
2017 (re-established after negotiations in November)
TypeInter-governmental security forum[1][2]
Region
Indo-Pacific
Members
States in the Dialogue:

The Quad[3][4] is a grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States that is maintained by talks between member countries. The grouping was initiated in 2007 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the support of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.[5] The dialogue was paralleled by joint military exercises of an unprecedented scale, titled Exercise Malabar. The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power.

The partnership is known formally as the "Quad," not the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue," noting its nature as a diplomatic, not security, partnership.[6] The "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" is a misnomer not used officially by the Quad governments.

The Quad ceased in 2008 following the withdrawal of Australia during Kevin Rudd's tenure as prime minister, reflecting ambivalence in Australian policy over the growing tension between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific. Following Rudd's replacement by Julia Gillard in 2010, enhanced military cooperation between the United States and Australia was resumed, leading to the placement of U.S. Marines near Darwin, overlooking the Timor Sea and Lombok Strait. Meanwhile, India, Japan, and the United States continued to hold joint naval exercises under Malabar.

During the 2017 ASEAN Summits in Manila, all four former members led by Abe, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and US President Donald Trump agreed to revive the Quad partnership in order to counter China militarily and diplomatically in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the South China Sea. Tensions between Quad members and China have led to fears of what was dubbed by some commentators "a new Cold War" in the region,[7][8][9][10][11] and the Chinese government responded to the Quad dialogue by issuing formal diplomatic protests to its members, calling it "Asian NATO".[12]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazil, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, and Vietnam were invited to "Quad Plus" meetings to discuss their responses to it.[13][14]

Current QUAD Leaders
Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese (Australia)
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi (India)
Prime Minister
Shigeru Ishiba (Japan)
President
Joe Biden (United States)
  1. ^ Dr. John Hemmings. "Should the Quad Become a Formal Alliance?". Air University (Au). Official United States Air Force Website. So, to summarize, we can say clearly that the Quad is not an alliance because it does not rest on a principle of collective defense and its members do not anticipate or expect that.
  2. ^ "It's clearer to India than ever that Quad is no military alliance. Everything's a bit AUKUS". The print. 21 September 2021.
  3. ^ Martin, Sarah (24 May 2022). "Albanese insists 'we will determine our values' after Chinese premier reaches out to new PM". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  4. ^ A. Smith, Sheila (27 May 2021). "The Quad in the Indo-Pacific: What to Know". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Australia has been in a stalemate with China, but that could be about to change". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  6. ^ "The Quad". Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
  7. ^ Jamali, Naveed; O'Connor, Tom (22 October 2020). "US, China's Geopolitical Battle for Asia Shapes New Power Dynamic for Region". Newsweek. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. ^ Heydarian, Richard (13 March 2021). "Quad summit next step towards an Asian NATO". Asia Times. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  9. ^ Kobara, Junnosuke; Moriyasu, Ken (27 March 2021). "Japan will turn to Quad in 'new Cold War': Defense Ministry think tank". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  10. ^ Rasheed, Zaheena (25 November 2020). "What is the Quad and can it counter China's rise?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  11. ^ Power, John (24 February 2021). "What is the Quad, and how will it impact US-China relations under the Biden administration?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  12. ^ DIPANJAN ROY CHAUDHURY. "India never had a NATO mentality: EAM S Jaishankar". The Economic Times.
  13. ^ "Canada and the Indo-Pacific" (PDF). Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. September 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Towards a Quad-Plus Arrangement?". Perth USAsia Centre. Retrieved 5 May 2020.