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OPINION APRIL 16, 2021 | The Indian Eye 18

missing some key points. open, rules-based order rooted
Indeed, the Quad is far from in international law to advance
being an alliance and should not security and prosperity, and is
be judged by such a yardstick. At committed to countering threats
the same time, one must keep in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,
in mind that all the enabling ar- just as the Quad Leaders have
rangements for deeper military stated in their Joint Statement.
cooperation between the four And the Quad does oppose
nations are slowly and steadily coercion in any form. It is not
coming into place. The US al- an alliance as yet. As the Latin
ready has treaty alliances with phrase goes, “a posse ad esse
Japan and Australia. non valet consequentia”. One
Yet, many on the US side be- cannot conjecture from the mere
lieve that India’s reticence is a possibility of an alliance that it
factor that holds up progress in Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes part in the First Quad Leaders’ Virtual does exist, or even that it must
furthering military cooperation. Summit with US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison and exist. Nor should the lack of a
India now also has cross-servic- Japanese PM Suga, in New Delhi on Friday. (ANI Photo) full-fledged alliance in the Quad
ing agreements with Japan and lead one to summarily disparage
Australia as well, as do Japan aspects that limit its choices on As a great power, the US is its potential role in influencing
and Australia with one another interpretation of its “core issues” capable of the duality of engage- the processes of peace and se-
since 2017. and sphere of influence. ment, with trade friction, human curity in the 21st century. After
One can concede that the fo- Like some of the old colonial rights preaching and deeper mil- all, the two great wars of the last
cus of each member is nuanced. powers, China increasingly pur- itary engagement proceeding century reveal that alliances can
India’s main concerns are chal- sues a “mare clausum” (closed parallelly. China too increasing- emerge quite easily in particular
lenges to its land boundaries and seas) strategy especially across ly pursues “exceptionalism with situations.
to maritime frontiers in the In- the South and East China Seas. Chinese characteristics”, seeking The fact it that, all said, the
dian Ocean. The other three na- It has also adopted the “island to rewrite the rules of existing Quad is definitely here to stay. It
tions have a Pacific/South China development” strategies of the and prospective global struc- is no longer “ocean foam that will
Sea-centric approach. The Quad colonials, stringing together sev- tures to accommodate its rising soon dissipate”, as Chinese For-
may have started out as the pro- eral basing arrangements to fa- economic and military power. eign Minister Wang Yi once put
verbial blind men feeling an ele- cilitate further expansion. However, China also focuses it. The Quad’s future will depend
phant, but there is much greater on strategies to woo individu- on the choices that China makes.
congruence among them today on ‘an idea whose time Has al countries and constituencies The greater China’s belliger-
the nature, shape and size of the come’? in order to shape outcomes. Its ence, the faster will the Quad’s
elephant in the room that is China. Unlike the archaic “Asia-Pa- actions may run contrary to the military-security agenda gath-
cific”, the Indo-Pacific more “rules-based order” but are not er steam, perhaps even moving
china’s rise and closely reflects the contempo- without a degree of success. up into a 2+2 dialogue format.
expansionism rary reality of the spread of com- The future of the Indo-Pa-
The fundamental issue today mercial and economic progress the Quad’s Uniqueness cific concept, on the other hand,
is the rise of China. As its eco- beyond East and Southeast Asia In contrast to the, as yet, will depend on whether others
nomic power aggregates over to encompass South Asia and more diffused concept of the In- can offer attractive alternatives
the decades into military muscle, the east coast of Africa as well. do-Pacific, the Quad is already a to China’s economic and finan-
it is increasingly pursuing uni- The Indo-Pacific, on the oth- well-defined grouping. Its main cial loans and assistance for de-
lateral policies and projecting er hand, is more of an organic focus is on developing a habit of velopmental purposes.
its power in the broader region. regional process that seeks the cooperation as a response to com-
The management of China’s rise, broadest possible common de- mon concerns and challenges. Amb. Sujan R. Chinoy is Direc-
let alone containment, is a huge nominators on evolving geo-stra- While there is every reason to tor General, Manohar Parrikar
challenge. This can only be done tegic and geo-economic issues. strive for an inclusive Indo-Pacif- Institute for Defence Studies and
in two ways: on the basis of an Yet, it is not bereft of contradic- ic, the Quad cannot, and should Analyses, New Delhi
existing “open rules-based order tions. The US proposes a free not, be hastily expanded. A pre- Views expressed are of the
rooted in international law” as and open Indo-Pacific without mature expansion could dilute
the Quad Leaders aver, or, on having acceded to the United its focus. This should not rule out author and do not necessarily
the basis of a new one. Nations Convention for the Law engagement with diverse coun- reflect the views of the Manohar
China bristles at sugges- of the Sea (UNCLOS) Trea- tries such as Brazil, Israel, New Parrikar IDSA or of the
Government of India.
tions that it abide by the existing ty although it helped shape the Zealand, South Korea and Viet-
rules-based order on grounds Convention from the very begin- nam, in the ‘Quad Plus’ format. This is the abridged version of the
others have no right to unilater- ning. The US is a torch bearer An ontological approach article which appeared first in the
ally define it. It is an anti-status for freedoms of navigation, in- will not provide an accurate un- Comment section of the website
quo power that seeks to forge a nocent passage, free trade and derstanding of the Quad. Just (www.idsa.in) of Manohar Parri-
new international order keeping much else. Yet, US positions are because it exists does not mean kar Institute for Defense Studies
intact the elements of the old not based on UNCLOS but on that it is against China. At the and Analyses, New Delhi on
order that suit it, yet redefining customary international law. same time, it is definitely for an March 31, 2021

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