The Quad is here to stay

The Quad is here to stay Isha Tripathi Quadrilateral security dialogue or put simply, Quad, had modest beginnings. It began as “Core Tsunami Group “following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami when four nations- India, the United States of America; Japan; Australia coordinated for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. However the idea of Quad as a security forum was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his historic “Confluence of The Two Seas” address to the Indian Parliament in 2007. In his address,Abe argued that the Pacific and Indian Oceans had become “ Seas of freedom” and “Seas of Prosperity.” He emphasized on the need for nations like India and Japan to work towards securing Free and Open Indo-Pacific. Following it , the first Official Quad meeting was convened on the sidelines of Asean Regional Forum in Manila in 2007. However, the exclusion of China from the grouping led Beijing to denounce the group as "Asian NATO". More recently the Chinese President reiterated that the Asia-Pacific should remain an arena for cooperation and. “ not geopolitical rivalry.” Despite the early momentum and expansion of Malabar Naval exercise among the member states; there was a lull following Australia's withdrawal from the grouping. The Quad was revived in 2017, when officials from the four countries met again in Phillipines. Since then the grouping has witnessed remarkable consolidation.There have been 6 Quad leader level summits from 2021 and numerous Quad foreign ministers meeting. The Quad has thus evolved from a consultation mechanism to an influential minilateral arrangement in the Indo-Pacific. The grouping has seen collaborations in various domains such as vaccine partnership during Covid , Cyber space, Clean Energy ,Supply Chain Initiative; STEM partnerships. Other initiatives include Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain awareness, Quad- at- Sea Ship Observer Mission, Quad Critical Minerals Framework. Quad Critical Minerals Framework launched in July 2025 is aimed as a response to countering over-concentration of critical minerals processing in a single source country. This becomes increasingly relevant in a world which is characterised by weaponization of the supply chain as seen in China's export restrictions on gallium,germanium and several rare earth's elements essential for semiconductors,electric vehicles. Quad has thus come a long way- from being a democratic forum committed to free and open Indo-Pacific to a platform addressing health security , maritime security, sustainable infrastructure development and securing resilient supply chains . The grouping has adapted with geopolitical shifts and changing needs of member states. The evolution is also reflected in the statements of Quad leaders.India's external affairs minister Dr. S.Jaishankar has repeatedly argued that the Quad is “a force for global good” and is not directed against any other country. Still, Quad has its own limitations which are- presence of an informal institutional structure, divergent strategic priorities among members and adoption of an increasingly broad agenda.