Foreign Policy Matters: The Quad's Next Chapter
The Quad's Next Chapter
As competition with China continues across the Indo-Pacific, the Quad—the partnership between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India—stands at a crossroads. How can the group counter Beijing’s influence moving forward? Marshall M. Bouton Fellow for Asia Studies Karl Friedhoff offers recommendations in a new report.
“The Quad needs to better balance its portfolio and how it messages that portfolio. The overt promotion of the security agenda is actively undermining perceptions of the Quad’s ability to engage on development and prosperity,” he writes. “Committing to an agenda that brings the people of the region, not its seas, to the fore of the Quad mission should be a top priority.”
Read the full report.
The Data Dimension
What do Americans think of the US military presence in Asia? In 2022, nearly two-thirds were in favor of keeping troop levels in the Asia-Pacific the same, 18 percent supported an increase, and 15 percent a decrease. Stay tuned for more 2023 Chicago Council Survey data about US relationships in the region coming soon!
What We're Watching
- Rising rents and stagnant wages: Join San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly for a conversation on the economic challenges facing the next generation and potential solutions.
- French laïcité: The expulsion of Muslim schoolgirls for refusing to remove their abayas is raising questions about French secularism. The Council’s Ariel Schwartz joins Deep Dish to discuss the struggle to balance religious diversity with national identity.
- A new war on drugs: “Calls to invade Mexico by Republicans point to a general tendency in US foreign policy to militarize problems," argues Nonresident Fellow Paul Poast. He looks at the fentanyl crisis as an example in World Politics Review.
- US views on trade: Both the American public and foreign policy leaders increasingly support sourcing goods and supply chains from friendly countries even if it means higher prices, Nonresident Fellow Josh Busby writes in Running Numbers.
Ask an Expert
Why is the Biden administration asking Congress to approve billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine?
“Given what's going on in Ukraine, the kinds of brutality we're seeing every day, it is critical that Ukraine have the means to both defend itself and its cities against the kind of brutal, undiscriminating attacks and to continue the counteroffensive that's finally starting to show real progress. This is the last moment at which to pull the plug on Ukraine. It is absolutely vital we continue it.”
—Council CEO Ivo Daalder on CBS News
