Why India Is Joining another Quad?

Foreign Ministers of India, the US, Israel and the UAE concluded a virtual meeting. The meeting is in line with the changes in West Asian geopolitics and manifests the formation of another Quad like grouping in the Middle East region. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad or QUAD.

• India’s involvement in this new grouping reflects a shift in its foreign policy.
• In a recent development, a meeting took place among UAE, US, Israel and India to boost four-way-co-operation.
• The possibility of utilising complementary capabilities to fulfil overlapping interests and strengthening the strategic partnership at a quadrilateral level in the Middle East was discussed.

• These new quad (India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States) is different from the other in many ways which consist of the United States, India, Japan and Australia.
• Its prime focus is not directed towards countering the rise of China, unlike the other quad which had an anti-China bias.
• But then there are other areas where this new arrangement can be of immense importance.

It can be seen from the perspective of quadrilateral security architecture. This new quad is mainly Indo-pacific in nature. The factors that are responsible for the New Quad:

• Abraham accord: The new Quad can be considered as the offspring of the Abraham Accords. The new arrangement is possible after the resumption of formal diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, through the Abraham Accord.
• To address the regional dominance of Turkey:New Quad can be considered as theconverging interests between India, the UAE, and Israel amidst Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s assertive claims for the leadership of the Islamic world.
• To contain China assertiveness: The US is seeking to lessen its footprint in the Middle East as part of its pivot to East Asia to tackle China’s rise.

• Enables India to expand its role on the world stage: The meeting suggests India is now ready to move from bilateral relations towards an integrated regional policy.
• Engagement in the middle-east can de deepened: India has built a flourishing bilateral tie with most of the countries in the region and the new quad will be adding strength and warmth to its relationship.
  • About 9 million Indian workers live in the Persian Gulf and we also depend heavily on the region for our energy imports.
  • We have ramped up our relationship with Saudi Arabia, but Israel and UAE have long been our key targets. These two countries are regarded as India’s important partners in the Middle East.
  • Israel has been a major arms supplier to India, and it could also assist India to enhance water management by bringing in the use of its cutting-edge agricultural technologies.
  • In 2015 an infrastructure fund worth $75 billion was announced between India and Israel, and India could leverage the new Quad in order to operationalize the fund.
• Strengthen cooperation with the United States, which is important to counter China belligerence.
• Tackling Pakistan: Pakistan’s growing alignment with Turkey and its alienation from its traditionally strong supporters in the Arab Gulf - the UAE and Saudi Arabia is adding importance to this new quad for India.

• It reflects India’s desire to play a greater role on the world stage.
• This arrangement will provide India with an opportunity to work closely with its partners without compromising its strategic autonomy. This is one another reason how this Quad is different from the other Quad as it is a loose grouping, not an alliance.
• The new Quad expands the geographic scope for the participating countries, beyond Asia by adding to the pool of their multilateral partners.

• This new arrangement does not offer any competition to the original Quad. Both the Quads are distinct in terms of geographical remits but areas of cooperation may overlap between the two groups.
• The new Quad is not being driven by the collective desire to counter China. It can be inferred from the fact that Israel and UAE which are both parts of the new quad formation have strengthened their commercial ties with China, specifically in the shipping sector. It proves that the new Quad has no common bias against China.

• Although the new quad is not focused on countering China as it is the case with the original Quad, but that does not position China as a nonfactor in the new arrangement.
• It cannot be denied that the United States see the new Quad as an opportunity to persuade Israel and UAE to discourage themselves from thriving Chinese investments. Certainly, this might interest India as reduced footprints of China in the region will provide definitive space for it to expand its presence.

• Distancing from Regional Rivalries: India should be careful not to get sucked into the many conflicts of West Asia that could intensify amid growing regional rivalries.
• Engagement with Iran: The American withdrawal from Afghanistan has deepened the insecurities for India in continental Asia and it is a challenge before India to retain a healthy relationship with Iran even as it seeks to build a stronger regional partnership with the US-Israel-UAE bloc.

• Test for Sustainability: It has to be seen if it can hold regular, high-level meetings on the lines of the original Quad, which is crucial for it to sustain.
• Test for Substance: Formation of working groups and identifying negotiators will add substance to the new Quad, helping it to produce new initiatives.

It might struggle to achieve the success of the original quad because of the lack of the unifying cause and limits itself to balance multilateral arrangements. The trajectory for the new quad is uncertain but there is considerable underlying potential to deepen engagements of four nations in trade, energy ties, fighting climate change and enhancing maritime security. Working towards the substance and sustainability of the new arrangement will averse the risk of failure of the new grouping.