Abstract
Whither a Networked Security Architecture? Overlapping U.S.-Indian Interests and Alignments and the Implications for the Indo-Pacific
Sameer Lalwani, Stimson CenterThe re-emergence in 2017 of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, between the United States, India, Japan, and Australia has raised questions regarding the utility of a networked security architecture in the Indo-Pacific, its shared purpose, and whether such an alignment is likely to succeed in deterring China. In particular, India’s reticence for any networked, militarized relationship has come under scrutiny after commissions and omissions that emerged in 2018. Despite optimism over the “natural” convergence of shared values and interests, India’s lukewarm approach to the Quad highlights significant differences in interests and capabilities that persist between the four countries. Using a typology of alignments as a baseline against which to assess this divergence, this paper argues that the U.S. view of any multinational security architecture fundamentally differs from Indian preferences. The paper identifies three factors—perceptions of threat, capacity, and urgency—that have and will continue to drive substantial long-term Indian divergence over the Indo-Pacific alignment.
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