INTELBRIEF

Intelbrief / IntelBrief: Return of the Quad: The Evolving Security Architecture of the Indo-Pacific

August 6, 2020

IntelBrief: Return of the Quad: The Evolving Security Architecture of the Indo-Pacific

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, does a fist bump with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Carl Court/Pool Photo via AP)

Bottom Line Up Front

  • The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, comprising the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, has reemerged in recent years in response to an increasingly assertive China.
  • Friction between China and all four Quad countries has created the conditions for the grouping’s reemergence and recently elevated profile. 
  • In particular, a longstanding shift in India’s foreign policy away from non-alignment and toward the United States has significantly strengthened the Quad arrangement. 
  • Cooperation at the level of joint naval exercises and ministerial-level meetings signify that the Quad is here to stay, regardless of electoral politics in the member countries.
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