The emergence of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which brings together India, Australia, Japan and the United States, is a result of today’s multipolar world, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.
“It’s very much in keeping with the times, and we will find ourselves increasingly in a multipolar world, and in a more fractured world … these ad hoc combinations of countries that will work together,” he said during an organized online interaction. by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI).
The four Quad countries had joined because they found it useful to consult on issues of mutual concern, such as maritime security, connectivity, counter-terrorism, resilient supply chains, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Jaishankar said in response to a question about whether India is involved in building an “Asian NATO.”
The world has moved from the Cold War era, marked by two ruling blocs and non-alignment, to an era of greater multipolarity, when more countries can shape and influence outcomes, he said. The West has become less collective, there has been a shift in America’s power, and the world has also witnessed the rise of China, he added.
Earlier this month, Jaishankar participated in the Quad’s second ministerial meeting, where the four countries agreed to continue working for a free and open Indo-Pacific in the context of China’s growing assertive behavior. Next month, navies from all four countries will participate in exercise Malabar, and Australia recently accepted India’s invitation to join the exercises.
Referring to the changing dynamics in the global power equations, Jaishankar described the rise of China as a “great geopolitical event of our lives.” The multipolar world will create its own logic, he said.
“The underlying idea is a consistent India. Independent India will express itself very differently and that is today in an example like Quad. Quad is not the only example in which four countries have found it useful to consult on issues that are of common interest, “he added.
As India grows, it may also have similar agreements with other countries, Jaishankar suggested. “Since we have so many agendas as we get bigger, we will have areas in which we will work with other countries,” he said.
This was not a dramatic change, as India had also worked with other countries in the past, he said. “There were three countries that felt they had a common interest in working together to strengthen their position vis-à-vis the West. The three countries were Russia, India, and China. So before there was a Quad, there was a triangle, ”he said.
The changing situation in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s increasingly aggressive behavior has led some quarters to describe the Quad as a coalition aiming to counter Beijing. Senior US officials have also spoken out on the possibility of regularizing and formalizing the Quad.
.
