10 October 2020, NIICE Commentary 6121
Muhammad Saidul Islam & Mohammad Omar Faroque
Following Buzan, Pardesi define a strategic region as a sophisticated and clustered geographical subsystem – which is differentiated from wider international system for its distinctive and vibrant internal structure and process – in terms of characteristics, it has threefold interrelationship of politico-military interaction capacity, strategic perceptions of the regional states, and the perceptions and strategic behaviour of the great powers. Drawing from Buzan and Pardeshi, it can be argued that the claim about the Indo-Pacific as the strategic region is valid and viable, as it has intra-politico-military interaction, strategic perceptions and behaviour of great powers and regional states, which are being structured and institutionalized nowadays. Although, Pardesi argues that the Indo-Pacific is not a new strategic region at all, it’s history dates back to two centuries ago, but was inactive in cold war period. Recently, it has been waking up for the politico-military cooperation and security arrangements. This waking up or growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region has been termed as the ‘rise and return of the Indo-Pacific’. Rise and return of the Indo-pacific refers to the re-establishing the strategic framework in Asia including Asia’s three sub-regions (South, Southeast and Northeast Asia) within two oceans (Indian and Western Pacific). The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the QUAD), an informal security dialogue between the US, Japan, Australia, and India, played catalytic role behind the idea of the rise and return of the Indo-Pacific. This piece discusses the implications of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the ‘Quad’ for the South Asian smaller states with introducing its strategic narrative as a regional order.
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the ‘QUAD,’ is an informal strategic group that includes the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. QUAD countries initiated to revive the strategic Indo-Pacific region through balancing strategy in the region, institutionalizing its internal structure and process and constructing the Indo-Pacific ideationally as a strategic region, in doing so He K. proposed ‘three faces of the Indo-Pacific’ in same manner, from, three IR theories perspectives – respectively realism, liberalism and constructivism. Therefore, QUAD is a strategic framework forum, maintained by semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military drills among member countries. This is an American led regional security architecture to curtail Beijing’s growing influence in Indo-Pacific region. It was initially established in 2007, recently it has been re-established and emphasized by the US, while China is proceeding with BRI and maritime expansion. To emphasize on the QUAD, in December 2017, the National Security Strategy of the United States of America highlights that “Chinese dominance risks diminishing the sovereignty of many states in the Indo-Pacific”. Above all, QUAD is an intergovernmental strategic and security arrangement to counter China’s BRI and to establish alternative regional order in the Indo-Pacific region.
QUAD for the South Asian Smaller States
South Asian smaller states include Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Firstly, South Asian smaller states can seek security through Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. While China showing hope for economic cooperation and infrastructure development, as the BRI has been described as “China’s grand connectivity project”, and a project to foster international cooperation, as Zhexin also argues BRI is the initiative to enhance economic and social ties focusing on ‘five connectivities’, instead of political and security cooperation. Its components and corridor- CPEC, BCIM-EC, Transnational Economic Corridor and MSR- all are about the economic cooperation and infrastructure development in the region. On the flipside of the coin, QUAD is the regional security cooperation. Therefore, QUAD could be the security provider for South Asian smaller states, while BRI is promising the economic development. This is the way of good balancing strategy.
Secondly, since QUAD forum or Indo Pacific strategic zone is the inter-regional framework, as it includes several regions and global powers like the US, Japan, Australia and India as well, it is the better opportunity to raise voice in greater platform for the South Asian smaller states. While smaller states are always afraid of their sovereignty and concerned about state security, the QUAD could be the better platform rather than Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as in the QUAD, there are not so many terms and conditions, and there is no debt trap, like China’s BRI.
Thirdly, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives could be beneficiary in the larger extent from the QUAD, since they are located in the Indian ocean region and coastal countries. To pursue the blue economy and sustainable development goals, to tackle the climate change driven challenges- cyclone, sea level rise and natural disaster, these three South Asian smaller states are dependent on the ocean-based regionalism and security cooperation. From this perspective, the QUAD is the better option for these South Asian smaller states from the security and strategic perspectives. From the development perspectives, the US, Japan and India also are the important development partner in providing foreign aid and in bilateral trade for the South Asian smaller states.
Fourthly, in March 2020, officials from QUAD met to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, they were joined by New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam. Therefore, the QUAD is being expanded from the state security to human security as well. Promoting human security in the QUAD will attract the overpopulated and vulnerable South Asian states. In the same way, post-cyclone human security crisis in this region could be faced with QUAD countries’ assistance. Therefore, from human security perspective QUAD is more effective, while BRI is only about economic incentives.
Above all, QUAD can play catalytic role to maintain ‘balance strategy’ in Indian ocean region and contain China’s hegemony. From realism perspective, the Indo-Pacific concept is mainly understood as a balancing strategy, which offers a strategic rationale for other states to form a military alliance against China’s rise, especially in the maritime security domain. To ensure balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region through collective security, QUAD is the best option, especially for smaller South Asian states. On the other hand, QUAD is the process of institutionalization of the Indo-pacific region as the strategic regional order.
Although, there are many problems and lacking with the Indo-Pacific region and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue dealing with the small states, for that “the term Indo-Pacific seems more appealing for major powers than for smaller ones in the region”. However, as Allan Gyngell in his twitter says, “The QUAD has more of a life in the pages of academic journals than in real life. And, finally, one can also question – will the interest of smaller South Asian states prioritized in QUAD? In this context, He looks more convincing who suggested QUAD countries and China to work together to promote Indo-Pacific regional cooperation under a more hybrid vision of the institutionalization of the Indo-Pacific.
