US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with his counterparts from India, Australia and Japan in New Delhi on Tuesday. The meeting is intended as preparation for a summit of the Quad leaders in November. However, the prospects of that have diminished due to changing geopolitical dynamics and strained relations stemming from differences among the group’s members. The Quad foreign ministers’ meeting therefore appears more symbolic than substantive.

Since its inception in 2007, the so-called Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has been much like a choir seeking harmony but never quite achieving it, leaving the group struggling to find its voice. While it operates under the banner of promoting a “free and open Indo-Pacific” — a dubious notion given that the region has been free and open — its core function is often perceived to be containing China. By fostering bloc politics, this exclusionary approach directly contradicts the region’s need for openness and inclusiveness.

The Quad’s vulnerabilities have become increasingly evident. The United States’........

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