Quad IS a ‘security alliance’, but the ambiguity is tactical and purposeful

Shortly after the Quad foreign ministers met in New Delhi Friday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met again at the Raisina Dialogue, for a panel discussion aptly called ‘The Quad Squad’. The Quad FMs’ meet wasn’t open for the public but the panel discussion was, and no sooner did the panel get over, media, both local and global, carried headlines saying, “Blinken, Counterparts Say Quad Grouping Not a Military Alliance”.   Jaishankar, master of the difficult art of strategic ambiguity, was found reinforcing this perception to a pointed question from the host, ORF president Samir Saran, on why Quad is “apologetic” about it being a “security grouping”. “No, I don’t think – look, we are not apologetic. I do believe – because I keep reminding people of 2004, because to me, if your origins are in common good, there’s a lot – there’s an innate virtue in your existence… So we do stand for something. What I would not like to be defined as is standing against something or somebody, because that diminishes me. That makes it out as though some other people are the center of the world and I’m only there to be for them or against them. I don’t think – actually, I think I’m the centre of the world, but that’s a different matter,” quipped the minister in his signature dry humour, drawing peals of laughter. His comments followed Blinken’s and Hayashi’s earlier in the programme where both foreign ministers claimed that Quad is “not” a military alliance. According to Blinken, “[Quad] is not a military grouping.  It’s not that kind of alliance.  But one of the things that we are doing through the Quad is trying to bring together not only governments but academia and other experts to look at where we might collaborate together on new technology, on innovation, and whether that has benefits in other areas remains to be seen.” It is evident where the headlines emanated from. And yet, if we scratch the surface even mildly, there emerges a completely different interpretation – an exposition that has been kept deliberately ambiguous for tactical reasons. It opens up when we read between the lines. At the beginning of the programme, the first question that was posed to Blinken was the one that has been plaguing governments and strategic communities in the Indo-Pacific. “How distracted is America with the conflict in Europe and how committed is it to continuing to engage in this region.  Is Quad an interim consultative group even as the real action unfolds with your old allies?” The unread part of the question was, how committed is Washington to challenge and check Chinese domination in this theatre? Blinken’s answer was clear, and curious, if we take at face value the assertion that “Quad isn’t a security alliance” aimed at China. “I think the very fact not only of our presence here today but our presence and engagement day-in, day-out, including through the Quad and the work that we’re doing not only during the meetings that we have but in between, is powerful evidence of the fact that, as you might say, we can run and chew gum at the same time.  And for us the future is so much in the Indo-Pacific.  Our engagement throughout the region, both through the Quad and in other ways, is as comprehensive and as deep as any time I can remember.” If that doesn’t make the sense clear, the next part of his comments certainly would. “And part of the reason that countries way beyond Europe are also so focused on this and are working to support Ukraine and deal with the challenge is because they know it could have an effect here.  If we allow with impunity Russia to do what it’s doing in Ukraine, then that’s a message to would be aggressors [read China] everywhere that they may be able to get away with it too.” If we turn our attention to the Quad FMs’ joint statement, we find condemnation of Beijing’s actions made pretty clear even though there is no explicit mention of China. “We recognize that peace and security in the maritime domain underpins the development and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, and reiterate the importance of respect for sovereignty, consistent with international law. We reiterate the importance of adherence to international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to meet challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South and East China Seas. We strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the area. We express serious concern at the militarization of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities.” Refer  On Saturday, a day after the Quad Squad met at Raisina, naval chiefs from Quad nations Japan, General Koji Yamazaki; India, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff; US, Admiral John C. Aquilino; Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command INDOPACOM; Admiral Ben Key, Chief of Naval Staff, UK and Vice Admiral Angus Topshee; Commander, Royal Canadian Navy, took part in a panel discussion at the Raisina on ‘The future of warfare’. It is instructive to note what Admiral Hari Kumar said on multilateral cooperation to tackle challenges from adversaries. “In the maritime domain, challenges are not just traditional and non-traditional, but transnational. Therefore, there’s a need for cooperation. With all the friendly navies coming together, we are always trying to find how to work together. We are working on issue-based convergences. So, we may not always agree on everything, but we will converge on common problems and solutions. When we work in smaller groups, it generates a lot of trust in partner countries. It increases interoperability. This leads to maritime security.” Therefore, despite the explicit strategic ambiguity over the purpose of Quad, and widening of its agenda to include humanitarian and human development agendas, the underlying security purpose lies clear and focused. All it needs is the joining of the dots. This ambiguity is essential, because an explicit stating of Quad’s security agenda hands a crucial negotiating leverage to the Chinese. ​ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.