GS2 PYQ 2020 (Mains Answer Writing): QUAD and Military Dialogues | UPSC Mains: International Relations PDF Download

‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD)’ is the transforming itself into a trade bloc from a military alliance, in present times. Discuss. (UPSC GS2 2020)

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) also known as QUAD is an Inter-governmental security forum. It comprises of 4 countries India, the United States, Japan and Australia. The member countries of the QUAD organise summits, exchanges the information and military drills. The objective is to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region. The idea of QUAD was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007.
Significances of QUAD in the present world order 

• Countering China: In the event of any chinese aggression on borders, India by cooperation with Quad countries can potentially disrupt chinese trade. 
• Net Security Provider: There is a growing great power interest in the maritime sphere, especially with the arrival of the concept of ‘Indo-Pacific’. For instance, many european countries have recently released their Indo-Pacific strategies. 
• Long-term interests of all countries: Free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large. 
• Terrorism and proliferation: It can help in tackling common challenges of terrorism and proliferation. 
• Rules-based order: Upholding the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and respect for international law, freedom of navigation and overflight. 
• Inclusion of great powers: Involving the U.S. and Japan in development projects in South Asia will yield the necessary finances. 
• Significant for India’s policy: By joining the QUAD India has taken a significant turn in its policy for the subcontinent. It gives India a powerful platform to advance its interests in East Asia, coordinate strategies with powerful friends and add more strength to its Act East initiative. It will deepen India’s ties with US, Australia and Japan with benefits in diplomatic leverage and sharing of burden in defence. 
• Why and how the group is transforming itself into a trade bloc from a military alliance? In the recent time, Analysts are already calling the RCEP a coup by China because of the manifold increase in its influence in the region because of the formation of this trade bloc—a bloc whose key China will hold. 
• On the face of it, China may be a “mercantilist” power, but in reality, it is an imperialist power, where it uses trade as one of the means for empire-building and world domination. In this context, if the Quad wants to be successful as a security alliance, it must be a strong economic alliance as well. 
• It is significant that the meeting of the Quad foreign ministers in Tokyo in September talked about the need to build “resilient supply chains”, which essentially means non dependence on one particular country as a manufacturing base. Japan proposed a “Supply Chain Resilience Initiative” (SCRI), comprising Japan, India and Australia. This has the potential to develop into an alternative trade bloc—a Quad and Quad-plus trade bloc.
• Marked change towards becoming a trade bloc: It is making a marked change towards becoming a trade bloc when its nations call for responding to the challenges emanating from Covid-19 including financial problems, improving the resilience of supply chains, easing access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment, coordinating efforts to help countries vulnerable to harmful and coercive economic actions in the Indo-Pacific region. 
• Regional infrastructure projects for trade: The Quad nations are planning to work together on regional infrastructure projects extensively, for example, the Blue Dot Network. They affirm their collective vision of maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, which has scope for trade activities when Australia wants to minimize its trade dependency on China. 
• India’s real GDP could increase: In a Quad trade agreement where bilateral tariffs are scrapped, India’s real GDP could increase by 0.2% or $2.7 billion a year, while exports could rise by 2.5% or $5.7 billion. 
• Gains in manufacturing Sectors: where India’s exports are competitive such as clothing, textiles and light manufacturing would gain the most. 
• Tariffs and lowers trade costs: Quad does away with tariffs and lowers trade costs by 25%, India’s real GDP could increase nearly 2% or $23.5 billion a year. 

Conclusion 
In times to come, it will be interesting to see how the four countries balance the desire to stop China’s aggression on security issues on one hand and maintain their economic interests with China on the other. This is a big challenge which would be difficult to surpass. India’s role in the success of Quad 2.0 is most important.
All the four democratic countries not only want to counter China but want to create stronger economic ties. India can play a pivotal role in getting QUAD countries closer on issues like Technological cooperation, healthcare, Cyber security etc. If QUAD 2.0 succeeds, then India can take the lead in increasing the scope to Quad Plus where there can be other countries like Israel, UK, Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam, and New Zealand who can also join the alliance.

Topics covered - QUAD, Indo Pacific Region, India USA relations