The Quad finally gets serious on security
The Indo-Pacific coalition signals a tougher approach to China
An identity crisis has long afflicted the Quad, a coalition that groups America, Australia, India and Japan. It began in 2007 as a security partnership of countries wary of China’s rise. But it has largely shied away from explicit military co-operation. Its summits usually exclude defence officials and uniformed officers. It does not officially do military drills (although the four countries exercise together). And recently, it has focused more on areas such as vaccine distribution and disaster relief.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The Quad gets serious at last”
From the February 1st 2025 edition
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