Prospects and Contestations- Quad’s Import

Abstract

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (hereafter mentioned as Quad) is the brainchild of ex-Japanese Prime Minister and statesman Shinzo Abe whose acute diplomatic foresight was par-excellence. As early as in mid 2000s, he had envisioned the Quad as a cumulative gathering of the four most prominent powers of the region- India, Australia, USA and Japan, to facilitate the growth and prosperity of the entire region. China’s insatiable territorial ambitions and its tendency of bullying the smaller countries into submission, its overarching Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) had a key role in precipitating the realization of the platform. Quad’s manifestation is underpinned by the cherished objectives of aiding the regional powers in meeting their developmental and humanitarian needs, in an atmosphere free from any animosity and undue interference in their internal affairs. It further seeks to create a healthy atmosphere in the Indo-Pacific so that all the countries can flourish together and work upon one’s strength for the sake of betterment of the whole region. Indo-Pacific was envisioned as a single strategic space where any tumultuous activity in one area would inevitably cause churn in the other. This paper focuses upon the promises, outlook and inherent challenges that lay within the whole premise of the superstructure of Quad. Effort has been put to lay bare, its genesis and the need behind its effective functioning.