India has become an indispensable player in the Quad—an alliance that has ripened into a robust bulwark against the shifting tides of power in the Indo-Pacific. Since its reemergence in 2017, the United States, Japan, Australia, and India have fostered a strategic balance in the region and established an effective counterpoint to the security threat posed by other players in the contentious maritime domain. Consistent with its view on “alliance politics”, India has brought focus back on multi-polarity and rebalancing geo-economic power structures. New Delhi has maintained that the group does not intend to stand ‘against’ something or somebody but ‘for’ something and therefore is not a security alliance.
The Quad nations view India not only as a strategic heavyweight but also as a key driver for regional stability, leveraging its soft power through cultural and economic influence.
Given its strategic location, economic prowess, and military capabilities, India plays a pivotal role in realizing this vision. With a vast maritime boundary along the Indian Ocean, India is uniquely positioned to counterbalance China’s assertiveness in the region. The Malabar naval exercises, a trilateral naval drill involving the United States, Japan, and India, exemplifies the maritime prowess that the Quad seeks to harness in the region. In the last decade, India has steadily increased its naval capabilities, with a fleet expansion and the acquisition of advanced naval assets.
With India’s GDP projected to surpass $5 trillion by 2025, the Quad nations envision harnessing India’s economic strength to drive development initiatives, thereby ensuring the economic resilience of the Indo-Pacific region against external shocks.
India’s commitment to a rules-based international order aligns seamlessly with the Quad’s core objectives. Its expectations from India extend beyond military and economic contributions. India’s prowess in vaccine diplomacy during the COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies its commitment to global public goods. The Quad nations anticipate India to further collaborate in addressing non-traditional security threats, such as pandemics, climate change, and cyber threats, reinforcing the Quad’s relevance in a rapidly changing world.
Moreover, India aims to champion transparent and sustainable infrastructure development initiatives like the “National Infrastructure Pipeline” for substantial investments. As countries underline their strategies for the Indo-Pacific region for the next quad summit in New Delhi, India hopes to give a practical dimension to positive cooperation in strategic technologies, reliable supply chain, health security, maritime security, counter-terrorism.
(Jessica Taneja, a correspondent with DD India, holds a keen interest in foreign policy. She specializes in reporting on global peace, security, and conflict resolution)