Surely to no one's surprise, the fourth meeting of the foreign ministers of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue members, held in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday, proved to be another opportunity for the United States to consolidate the dogmatism of the four-nation group.
The Quad's insularity spells trouble for a region that has hitherto sought to promote inclusiveness, peace and stability.
In recent years, the Quad has gained strategic importance in the US' global playbook as it has intensified its geopolitical competition with China.
The incumbent US administration under President Joe Biden is seeking to augment the Indo-Pacific strategy inherited from the previous administration by roping in the US' regional allies and partners. For various reasons and out of different calculations, the other three members of the Quad－Australia, India and Japan－are demonstrating an eagerness to team up with the US, at least for now.
The very fact that the world's sole superpower has to rely more on its allies, through strengthening old alliances and creating new ones, such as AUKUS, to contain China's rise and development, underscores the declining clout of the US in the region and beyond. This is a worrying development for many in Washington, and one that is spurring the US' efforts to rally its allies to a cause that is entirely self-serving.
With Washington determined to wage a pressure campaign on two fronts at the same time－against China and Russia－which is beyond its own capabilities, it has little choice but to reach out to its allies. Yet for many countries, some of its allies included, the US' desperation to maintain its hegemony is a symptom of its inability to keep in step with the times.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne claimed the Quad members were "working together to amplify and coordinate responses to the most pressing issue of concern to nations across our region".
Yet the most pressing issue of concern to most other countries in the region is the divisive disruptiveness of the US' Indo-Pacific strategy.
Blinken spoke of the Quad "championing the right of all countries to choose their own path, free from coercion, and the right to have their sovereignty and territorial integrity respected, whether that's here in the Indo-Pacific, in Europe, or anywhere else in the world".
But if there is one thing the Quad meeting has reinforced, it is the US' penchant for forming cliques and challenging others to choose its way or a sanctioned way in a bid to maintain its hegemony. In so doing, it is increasingly shaping the Asia-Pacific region and Europe into venues for its major power competition. That is not conducive to peace and stability.