• Recently at QUAD foreign minister meet, QUAD members condemned the Pahalgam terror attack.

About QUAD

• It is an informal multilateral grouping of India, the U.S., Australia, and Japan aimed at cooperation for a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 
• Origin: The Quad began as a loose partnership after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami when the four countries joined together to provide humanitarian and disaster assistance to the affected region.
• It was formalized by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.

Key Initiatives of QUAD

• Quad Cancer Moonshot, a groundbreaking partnership to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Under this, India will provide $7.5 million worth of HPV sampling kits, detection kits and cervical cancer vaccines to countries in the Indo-Pacific.
• A commitment from the Serum Institute of India, in partnership with Gavi and the Quad, to support orders of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses for the Indo-Pacific region.
• Coast Guard Cooperation: The First-ever “Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission” in 2025 to improve interoperability and advance maritime safety between our Coast Guards across the Indo-Pacific.
• The Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network pilot project, in order to support civilian response to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the Indo-Pacific region.
• The “Quad Ports of the Future Partnership” will harness the Quad’s collective expertise to support sustainable and resilient port infrastructure development across the Indo-Pacific.
• The “Semiconductor Supply Chains Contingency Network Memorandum of Cooperation” to enhance Quad resilience in semiconductor supply chains.
• Reform at the UN Security Council: The Leaders recognised the urgent need to make it more representative, inclusive, and democratic through expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories of membership
• Quad Principles for Development and Deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure were welcomed for the region and beyond.
• The Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific” (MAITRI) to enable regional partners to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior.
• India will host the first MAITRI workshop in 2025.

Strategic and Geopolitical significance of QUAD

• Act East policy: India’s participation in the Quad emphasizing deeper engagement with East Asian nations and strengthening maritime security cooperation. 
• Military cooperation: It provides a platform for military cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint exercises aimed at maintaining maritime security and ensuring the rule of law.
• Counterbalancing China’s Influence: QUAD is crucial for India’s interests in safeguarding its maritime trade routes and ensuring freedom of navigation in international waters.
• India has supported a rule-based multipolar world and QUAD can help it in achieving its ambition of becoming a regional superpower.

Challenges of QUAD

• Diverse Priorities and Perspectives: Every Quad member has its own agenda of priorities, threats, and interests in the geography it operates in.
• As for example, owing to differences on border issues and power structures, India has a different perception about China.
• China’s Reaction and Deterrence: China pays much attention to the activities of Quad. Any such step seen as containing could elicit a reaction and may eventually heighten tensions.
• Domestic Politics and Commitment Levels: Each member has domestic pressures, providing or competing for different priorities. For Quad cooperation to continue there needs to be firm commitment.
• Avoiding Militarization Perceptions:Many people are concerned that the Quad may gradually transform into a military bloc, which will endanger the stability in the region.

Conclusion

The Quad aims to strengthen cooperation among its member countries and with regional partners to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.