How Quad triggered the Ladakh stand-off.

Byline: Adeela Naureen / Umar Waqar

As reported By: The Times of India, Australia and India signed seven agreements, including a landmark pact on access to military bases for logistical support, after the first-ever virtual summit between Modi and Scott Morrison on June 4. Since this virtual summit took place without traditional pomp and show, it did not get much traction in the Pakistani media, which was too busy with pre-budget mudslinging and the Cynthia Ritchie vs PPP bout.

It is considered pertinent to define the Quad and the US-Asia Pivot concept.

The Japanese PM Shinzo Abe came up with the idea of 'democratic security diamond (DSD)' in December 2012. This DSD called for the formation of an alliance to safeguard the maritime commons stretching from the Indian Ocean region to the Western Pacific with four of Asia's most prominent maritime democracies - Australia, India, the US and Japan - forming the points of the diamond. The Japanese leader explicitly called on these states to join forces to oppose Chinese 'coercion' and to defend peace, stability and freedom of navigation within the diamond.

A lot of water has flown through the Ganges since 2012, this DSD has become Quad and latest signing of agreement between Australia and India is a manifestation of the concept. This year India's biggest 'intellectual theatre', the Raisina Dialogue focused on China and the Indo Pacific.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov delivered a talk at the Dialogue on January 15, 2020, and shared his views on how Russia views the shaping of the new global order.

Lavrov deliberated that the powers against the more democratic and multipolar world are trying to hamper the process of a more open and fair world. Talking of Eurasia, Lavrov highlighted that many great people are trying to make this region united and competitive. While replying to a question from the moderator on Indo Pacific, Lavrov candidly replied that the Indo Pacific was mainly meant to contain China and was definitely based on exclusion rather than inclusion.

The Dialogue kept on bashing China By: including military commanders on topics like 'Fluid Fleets: Navigating Tides of Revision in the Indo-Pacific'. This panel included the Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, the Chief of Staff of the Japanese Defence Forces, Vice Chief for Defence Forces of Australia, the Chief of Naval Staff of UK, and the French Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy. Ironically, the first...