Editor's Pick: Can India be part of a militaristic Quad?

The Hindu Newsletter - Government bans PUBG, WeChat Work, 116 other mobile apps [The Hindu Logo]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( Friday 04, September 2020 [alt_text]( Editor's Pick [Can India afford to be part of a militaristic Quad?]( [alt_text]( (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has said that[the 'Quad' alliance]( among India, U.S., Japan, and Australia can be[a mechanism to ensure 'Freedom of Navigation']( in the Indian Ocean and surrounding regions. He said this will ensure there is "no fear of any other nation singularly trying to dominate the oceans." The 'Quad' alliance was formed in the aftermath of the 2006 tsunami among the nations that coordinated the relief efforts in the Indian Ocean. However, Beijing holds strong views on the 'Quad' becoming an 'Asian NATO' to contain its influence in the region. Consequently, the Quad has refrained from exhibiting a military purpose to avoid antagonising China. India has left out Australia from the Malabar naval exercises with U.S. and Japan expressly for this purpose. General Rawat's statement introduces a militaristic prospect for the alliance, with a not-so-subtle reference to China. This comes on the same day that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasised that [diplomacy is the solution to India-China tensions](. At present, both U.S.-China and India-China relations are quite agggravated and the Quad is a possible fit in strategic calculations. However, India is the only country in the Quad that shares a land border with China; tensions in the high seas could play out in the mountains and vice versa. Also, a militaristic Quad could draw India into conflicts in the south Pacific it has not been involved in so far. The geopolitical consequences of a militaristic Quad which Gen. Rawat hinted at is what makes this story important. The Big Story [Quad should ensure Freedom of Navigation in Indian Ocean: Gen. Rawat]( [alt_text]( From the Front Page [alt_text]( [Narendra Modi pitches India as best place for global investors]( [alt_text]( [Relief for borrowers in moratorium case]( From The Opinion Pages [alt_text]( [A politics of avoidance that must be questioned]( [alt_text]( [Mind the gaps in India’s health care digital push]( Today's Editorials [Loyalty test: On Congress and re]( [Partial relief: On AGR dues]( You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0b4uf1xabf2f90kaup33rtbysa8hkzk@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) To ensure you continue to receive emails from The Hindu in your inbox, please add newsletters.th@newsalert.thehindu.com to your contact. If you can't see the mailer, please [click here.]( Group Sites [The Hindu]( | [இந்து தமிழ் திசை]( | [Business Line]( | [BL on Campus]( | [Sportstar]( | [Frontline]( | [The Hindu Centre]( | [Images]( | [roofandfloor]( | [Classifieds]( Copyright @ 2020 ,THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. [About Us]( | [Contact Us]( | [Digital Subscription](