On May 12th, 2021, around 70 participants attended the YCAPS-ICAS-JUMP hosted Community Conversation webinar “Quad-Plus: Form to Function?”. The webinar was moderated by Dr. Stephen Nagy and featured three speakers: Prof. Hideshi Tokuchi, a visiting professor and a senior fellow of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo; Céline Pajon, Head of Japan Research at the Center for Asian Studies of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI); and Dr. Jagannath P. Panda, a Research Fellow and Centre Coordinator for East Asia at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP- IDSA).
The panelists first provided insights on the origin, recent developments, and future possibility of the QUAD, focusing on various points including how the QUAD-plus framework may institutionalize in the future, whether the role it plays goes beyond vaccine diplomacy, and ways in which QUAD-plus can contribute to a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific. Following the speakers’ remarks, the event expanded discussions and debate through questions on the two-way nature of the QUAD as an enabling and limiting tool, potential limitations of the QUAD, It’s sustainability, and the parameters of Indo-pacific initiatives. As the highly interactive discussion further raised points on relevant points such as the possible roles of the QUAD as a supportive tool in international crises, this event highlighted the significance of ongoing developments and future possibilities of the QUAD as a whole.
By Sema Gelegen for YCAPS University Chapter