The Quad is not dead. Some are declaring its demise, but this week’s meeting of the foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States in New Delhi is uplifting proof of life amid the world’s state of crisis.
As China gathers strength, the Quad is indeed becoming ever more valuable, including to the United States.
Doubts about the group’s survival have grown because the Quad’s national leaders haven’t met since 2024. Politico cited analysts pointing to U.S. President Donald Trump’s lack of interest in the grouping. Writing in Foreign Policy, Sarang Shidore of the Quincy Institute described “a perceptible sense that the Quad is fading away.” The Times of India said the Quad “is quietly losing steam.”
Last year’s planned meeting of Quad leaders was reportedly canceled due to tension between Washington and New Delhi. But even the lack of a leaders’ meeting for a second year should cause no alarm.
Daily Quad work directed and checked by annual leader meetings would be ideal, but for the time being the foreign ministers meeting is what’s needed. Continuity of contact and action is necessary at all levels in the Quad, and foreign ministers are the ones who drive it forward.
