The Quad is back in action. Australia, India, Japan and the US formed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in 2007 in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, but it foundered in 2008 due to lack of support from its members. Its resurgence began in 2017, when the changing strategic circumstances in the Indo-Pacific led to a desire for the four democracies to once again work together.
The face-to-face meeting of the Quad foreign ministers mid-Covid-19 pandemic in Tokyo in October saw that desire become reality.
The meeting signalled greater security cooperation among the members. A month later, all four nations participated in Malabar 2020, a high-end maritime warfare exercise hosted by India. Importantly, Malabar 2020 was the first time since 2007 that Australia had been invited to participate in what had evolved from a 1992 bilateral US–India exercise, then with the inclusion of Japan, to a premier trilateral activity....MORE
