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Key Points
1. The Quad is a mechanism which facilitates
dialogue between four major democracies within
the Indo-Pacic region.
2. The evolving dynamics of the Russia-India-China
(RIC) mechanism, the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) and BRICS can be seen as
components of India’s balancing act between the
US and China.
3. There has been an overemphasise on maritime
power ignoring land power. Wars are won on
land. India’s long border with China has number
of vulnerabilities.
4. India should not over extend itself to South China
Sea. India must make Indian Ocean as its main
area of interest.
5. India is determined to retain its sovereignty. India
is not an ally of the USA.
6. India has no option but to do tight rope walking
diplomatically between U.S. Russia and China.
Quad and India’s
Balancing Act
The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), New Delhi, is an independent think-tank dealing with national security and conceptual aspects
of land warfare, including conventional and sub-conventional conict and terrorism. CLAWS conducts research that is futuristic in outlook and
policy-oriented in approach.
Website: www.claws.in Contact us: landwarfare@gmail.com
ISSUE BRIEF
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January 2019No. 167
CENTRE FOR LAND WARFARE STUDIES
Introduction
The Quad is a mechanism which facilitates
dialogue between four major democracies
within the Indo-Pacic region, Australia,
Japan, India, and the US, on issues of regional
security. The Quad believes in principles of
openness, freedom of movement, and respect
for the rules-based international order. Quad
is a dialogue mechanism, Indo-Pacic is a
concept. Quad does not dene Indo-Pacic.
Quad is not an alliance.
Quad has unfolded over the past year. It has
brought criticisms, complexities, and challenges
to the fore. A vast region, the Indo-Pacic is
marked by a precarious geometry of faultlines
and strategic mistrust. While the Quad offers
constructive opportunities for improving
dialogue and cooperation across the region,
it is constrained by internal limitations. Each
member of the Quad presents a slightly different
view of the Quad’s role within the Indo-Pacic.
There is a feeling that the Quad is an alternative
to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, or a
mechanism aimed at containing China. This
Maj Gen P K Mallick, VSM (Retd) was
a Senior Directing Sta (SDS) at the
National Defence College, New Delhi. He
is an expert in Cyberwarfare, SIGINT and
Electronic Warfare.
