The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is facing a difficult year. While recent successful foreign ministers’ meetings staved off speculation of imminent demise, the Quad now seems far less promising as the leading vehicle of a viable Indo-Pacific order.
The proximate causes were the dramatic India–US bilateral clashes, inflamed by US President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs and energy-related sanctions, and the diplomatic fallout from the Pahalgam terrorist attack and subsequent India–Pakistan conflict. Tensions visibly persisted in the run-up to the May meeting and continue even today.
