Will the Quad slip into hibernation, again?
India may have to go back to the drawing board to rethink its own Indo-Pacific strategy
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 "Shyam Saran")
 "External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks as Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong (behind), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand at the Quad meeting in Washington on July 1 (Photo: Reuters)")
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks as Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong (behind), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand at the Quad meeting in Washington on July 1 (Photo: Reuters)
The story of the Quad begins with a humanitarian crisis and not as a security grouping. After the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2004, it was the Indian Navy that acted as the “first responder” to deliver urgent supplies not only to its subcontinental neighbours — Sri Lanka and the Maldives — but also further afield to Thailand and Indonesia. This was despite India’s southern coast and the Andaman & Nicobar chain of islands being seriously impacted by the tsunami. When the United States (US) and its allies — Australia and Japan — began to engage in
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Shyam Saran
Shyam Saran is a Honorary Senior Faculty and Member of the Governing Board at Centre for Policy Research. He is a former Foreign Secretary of India and has served as Prime Minister’s Special Envoy For Nuclear Affairs and Climate Change. After leaving government service in 2010, he headed the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a think tank focusing on economic issues (2011-2017) and was Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board under the National Security Council (2013-15). He is currently Life Trustee of India International Centre, Member of the Governing Board of the Institute of Chinese Studies, a Trustee at the World Wildlife Fund (India) and Member of the Executive Council of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011 for his contributions to civil service.
 "Shyam Saran")
First Published: Aug 31 2025 | 9:06 PM IST
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