CONTOURS OF THE QUAD IN THE NEW PARADIGM

On 18 February 2021, the third virtual QUAD ministerial meet was held. This was held in the early days of the Biden administration. It indicates a seriousness of intent on the part of all QUAD nations. Issues which came up were :-

Challenges faced by existing international order.

Unilateral attempts to change the status quo (without naming China),maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber security and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief.

The necessity of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” and a global order based on the rule of law.

Issues beyond the normal security paradigm figured in the meet. These included quality infrastructure, education and human resource development, supply chain resilience and cooperation to address climate change.

This meet has a special significance on two counts. Firstly. The press release of the Government of India was headlined as ‘3rd India-Australia-Japan-USA Quad Ministerial Meeting”. The QUAD is now an official entity in Indian lexicon and reflects a firm commitment. Secondly. Japan’s Foreign minister ‘expressed serious concern with regard to the China’s Coast Guard Law, and the four Ministers concurred to strongly oppose unilateral and forceful attempts to change the status quo in the context of the East and South China Sea’. China has been specifically identified as a ‘provacateur’ which disturbs peace.

While there is a clear understanding and intent to take QUAD forward at the highest levels, there is still a requirement to iron out wrinkles at practical levels so that the aspirations and expectations of the QUAD nations are met while also responding to each other’s limitations and sensitivities. It is only when this is achieved that QUAD can assume an executable role on ground based on a common charter. In all this , it is evident that Taiwan will be an issue and we should know the climate there.

In order to pave way for all these issues an International Webinar is being organised on ‘Contours of the QUAD in the New Paradigm‘, on 27 Feb. the event is being organised by CASA (INDIA) and ISIC (Japan). The details of the event are as indicated below.