By SHRI RAM SHAW
New Delhi, 29 Sep: Eminent diplomats and experts from India, US, Japan and Australia will gather for a virtual brainstorming discussion this evening to map the road ahead for the Quad after the historic first-ever in-person Quad summit in Washington on September 24.
The summit of the leaders of Quad countries, comprising India, US, Japan and Australia, culminated in substantive outcomes, which could help shape a free, open and inclusive region and place the four major democracies at the heart of an evolving world order. Against this backdrop, India Writes Network, India and The World and Centre for Global India Insights (CGII), a think tank focused on global affairs, are organising the webinar titled, “Quad Summit: Power of 4 – Reshaping the World Order,” which will map future directions of the four-nation grouping.
Announcing the webinar, Manish Chand, CEO, IWN and Centre for Global India Insights (CGII), said: “The major takeaway from the first face-to-face Quad summit is the marked shift from rhetoric and word games to the phase of purposeful and constructive action, representing the evolution of a nascent grouping in barely six months since the virtual summit.”
“The summit has fleshed out signature initiatives and deliverables whose transformative impact will be felt in days to come. These include operationalisation of the Quad Vaccine Initiative under the broader rubric of Indo-Pacific Health Security, Quad Infrastructure Initiative, resilient supply chains for semiconductors and clean energy and setting principles on development of critical and emerging technologies,” said Chand.
Eminent diplomats and experts who will participate in the webinar include Amb. (Retd.) Kanwal Sibal, a former foreign secretary of India and well-known commentator on foreign policy issues; Ambassador Kenneth I. Juster, who has over 40 years of experience as a senior government official, senior law partner, and senior business executive; Amb. Teresita C. Schaffer, an expert on economic, political, security and risk management trends in the region that extends from Afghanistan through Bangladesh; Ambassador Anil Wadhwa, who served as Secretary (East) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs and served as Ambassador to Italy, Thailand, Poland and Lithuania, Sultanate of Oman; and Dr Srikanth Kondapalli, Professor in Chinese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.