Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Former Official Urges Realism on Quad and India-US Ties
Vijay Gokhale said the Quad group of four countries is no longer as focused as it was meant to be.
It originally aimed to support security and rules in the Indo-Pacific.
He said the group now deals with too many different issues.
Gokhale still believes the United States is India’s best major partner for technology.
However, he said India should treat the relationship as an exchange in which both sides give and receive.
He warned that if the United States becomes less involved in the region, China could gain more influence.
Evan Feigenbaum said the United States focuses too much on competing with China.
He argued that Asian countries need practical trade, money and technology choices instead of only warnings about China.
Both speakers said Asia is becoming more complicated and multipolar.
Former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said the Quad has lost focus and strategic relevance by expanding beyond its original security purpose.
Gokhale urged India to pursue a more realistic, reciprocal relationship with the United States rather than remain “starry-eyed.”
He warned that reduced US engagement could create room for China to expand its influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
Evan Feigenbaum said Washington’s China-centered strategy has reduced Asian countries to proxies and left the United States short of a broader regional strategy.
Both speakers highlighted the importance of trade and technology, while Gokhale criticized India’s decision to leave the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
- Who
- Former Indian foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and former US State Department official Evan Feigenbaum.
- What
- They discussed the Quad’s declining focus, India-US relations, US-China competition and the changing strategic balance in Asia.
- When
- Wednesday, during a conversation in New Delhi; the articles do not specify the date.
- Where
- New Delhi and the wider Indo-Pacific and Asian region.
- Why
- The discussion examined whether Asia is undergoing a major shift in strategic relations and how India and the United States should respond.
Gokhale’s View
Feigenbaum’s View
Why the Quad has weakened
Gokhale’s View
Gokhale said the Quad expanded into non-security issues, diluting its original purpose, and should be reconsidered or supplemented.
Feigenbaum’s View
Feigenbaum focused less on the Quad itself and argued that US policy across Asia has become overly defined by competition with China.
Main problem in US policy
Gokhale’s View
Gokhale framed the regional crisis partly as mutual disengagement and warned that Washington’s reduced attention could create space for Beijing.
Feigenbaum’s View
Feigenbaum said the deeper problem is Washington’s strategic culture: it treats Asian relationships as extensions of its China competition and lacks a broader strategy.
India-US partnership
Gokhale’s View
Gokhale said the United States remains India’s best technology partner, but India must stop being “starry-eyed” and ensure the relationship benefits both sides.
Feigenbaum’s View
Feigenbaum emphasized that the United States needs to offer practical alternatives in trade, money and technology rather than simply telling countries to reject Chinese options.
- Quad assessment
- Vijay Gokhale said the Quad has lost focus and strategic relevance.
- Original Quad purpose
- Gokhale said it was intended to become the nucleus of a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.
- India-US relationship
- Gokhale called the United States India’s best bet for technology cooperation but urged a more realistic, give-and-take approach.
- China’s potential role
- Gokhale warned that reduced US engagement could allow Beijing to expand its influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
- Trade agreements
- Evan Feigenbaum said the United States is outside the CPTPP, RCEP and Digital Economy Partnership Agreement; India is also outside all three.
- India and RCEP
- Gokhale said India’s decision to leave the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership after seven years of negotiations could cost India heavily.
- Regional outlook
- Feigenbaum described Asia as dynamic, multidimensional and increasingly multipolar.