Brand Quad needs a marketing makeover

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) has an image and perception problem. Since its creation in 2007, the quartet of Australia, India, Japan and the United States has received mixed reviews in South-east Asia and beyond.

Now, the ongoing Gulf war is adding urgency for the Quad to define itself, because the interests of its key partners are diverging and its coherence is eroding.

The joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran starting on Feb 28 and Iran’s region-wide retaliation are forcing India into a difficult balancing act between its strategic relationship with the US and Israel, and its special historic links with Iran.