Asia | Going soft

Has the Quad lost its way?

Critics say the loose coalition is lowering its ambitions

Narandra Modi and Jow Biden pose for a group photo with other Quad leaders
Photograph: Getty Images
|Singapore

The idea was that grand government buildings in Delhi would host this year’s meeting of the “Quad”—a coalition comprising America, Australia, India, and Japan. That was before prosecutors in New York uncovered an attempt to assassinate an American activist of Sikh heritage, allegedly at the direction of Indian intelligence officers. Joe Biden decided against visiting India (though his staff blamed scheduling challenges, not diplomatic worries, for that call). Instead, on September 21st, America’s president hosted the leaders of the Quad countries at a suburban school in his home state of Delaware.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Going soft”

From the September 28th 2024 edition

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