New Delhi: The inauguration of POTUS Donald Trump and the extravagant ceremony that was held in his honour were not the only two things that hold importance in the global scheme of things. If you are an Indian citizen, living anywhere in the world, this week would have given you much to cheer about. The very fact that Trump announced an early visit to India and China, two Asian majors, was good news for the country. During the ceremony, India’s EAM, S Jaishankar, was among the few global figures who were seated in the first row. And then the Quad meeting which happened between the foreign ministers of India, the US, Japan and Australia, was also deemed to be a fruitful discussion between the four biggies of the grouping.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, long form of Quad, pledged “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended”. What does this mean in the context of a new US president (albeit in his second term) and also for India as a rising power in the global order?

The fact that the meeting was the first that Trump attended after he assumed office on January 20, underscores the importance that the Quad has on policy making not just in the Indo-Pacific but also globally. Even Jaishankar realised the significance of the first meet, he took to the X to write “this underlines the priority it has in the foreign policy of its member states”. According to the External Affairs minister, the meeting sent a strong message to the world that the Quad in its........

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