The most recent Summit-level meeting in March of the four Quad nations – Australia, Japan, India, and the United States – began with a familiar refrain: “Our meeting today reaffirms the Quad’s steadfast commitment to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
But what is a “free and open Indo-Pacific?” Talk of “freedom and openness” in the context of Quad membership is more than a rhetorical veneer for a pragmatic security partnership. The terms “freedom and openness” are rhetorical frames deployed by these key regional actors to call into question the legitimacy of China’s role and behavior in the region. Presenting the Indo-Pacific as “free and open” intends to include within this space those rule-abiding states who champion and uphold such values and exclude those states who do not.
India’s stakes in and through the Quad are obvious: via the Indo-Pacific construct and through membership of this exclusive quartet, New Delhi has seen a recent and swift elevation of its status and agency. Yet India’s inclusion within and leverage of a liberal vision for the Indo-Pacific is more complicated than it might initially appear. India – through both the discourse and the policies of its leaders – understands several aspects of the apparently shared…
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