The Quad as an Instrument of Collective Security: India-US Perspectives

Author(s): Dr. Anurag Tiwari

Abstract:

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, has emerged as a central element in shaping the Indo-Pacific strategic architecture. While originally conceived in 2004 as a response to humanitarian disaster relief needs, the Quad has since evolved into an important strategic grouping countering the regional assertiveness of China. This paper analyses the extent to which the Quad functions as an instrument of collective security, focusing on India and US perspectives. The United States views the Quad as a mechanism to uphold its regional primacy and strengthen alliance-based deterrence against China, whereas India adopts a cautious approach, emphasising strategic autonomy and multi-alignment while cooperating on maritime security, critical technologies, and infrastructure development. The conceptual distinction between collective security and security cooperation remains central to this analysis, as the Quad currently lacks formal mutual defence obligations, functioning more as a platform for strategic signalling, capacity building, and promoting a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific order. Challenges such as diverging threat perceptions, India’s reluctance for formal alliances, ASEAN sensitivities, and the risk of Chinese countermeasures limit its evolution into a formal security alliance. However, operational convergence through naval exercises, critical technology cooperation under iCET, and institutionalisation of the Quad Leaders’ Summits reflect its growing strategic utility. This paper concludes that while the Quad is unlikely to become a formal collective security alliance in the near future, it remains a significant strategic partnership shaping regional order amidst rising power contestations.

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Pages: 111-114     |    2 View     |    0 Download