https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧵" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread"> Looking for a primer on the https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇦🇺" title="Flagge von Australien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Australien">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇮🇳" title="Flagge von Indien" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Indien">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇯🇵" title="Flagge von Japan" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge von Japan">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇺🇸" title="Flagge der Vereinigten Staaten" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge der Vereinigten Staaten"> Quad as the foreign ministers meet in Tokyo for their second meeting? I& #39;ve got you covered: https://brook.gs/3jzZB52 ">https://brook.gs/3jzZB52&q... 1/

2/ The previous iteration of the Quad (2007) was short-lived. More details why: https://bit.ly/34v2ptF ">https://bit.ly/34v2ptF&q...

3/ The current iteration of the Quad began in November 2017 with assistant secretary/joint secretary-level consultations on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Manila. Since then, it& #39;s met regularly & been upgraded.

4/ The Quad hasn& #39;t tended to release joint statements, but the countries& #39; readouts & comments indicate the overlaps, the objectives (rules based order, favorable balance of power, deter Chinese aggressiveness, provide options), & agenda. Can also parse them to detect differences.

5/ Skeptics tend to fall into 2 categories: those who think the Quad is doing too much & those who think the Quad is not doing enough

6/ Despite expectations of its early demise, the Quad has nonetheless continued (w/ a major assist from China). There have been meetings in/on different domains.

7/ While people tend to focus on what the Quad as a whole has done (or not done), as important--if not more--are the constituent bilaterals & how they& #39;ve evolved. This is just a glimpse of how India& #39;s defense ties hv developed with the others...

8/ Also significant are the trilaterals among the Quad countries & that some of them have with other like-minded countries

9/ In addition, the Quad constituents also participate via other platforms with like-minded partners across a range of issues...

10/ The Quad countries also engage with each other and with other partners in the defense sphere.

11/ For a sense of the interlocking bilaterals & trilaterals (w/ associated dialogues, agreements & exercises), as well as the quadrilateral, here are some of their activities in September alone.

12/ This -- + COVID-19 + Chinese assertiveness -- is the context for the Quad ministerial. If you& #39;re just focused on Australia in MALABAR or not, you might have missed some of this. So I thought I& #39;d bring it to you in charts.

13/ Finally, a lesson that no (well, ok maybe 1 or 2) experience is a wasted one - I cld not hv done these w/o my graphics/website designing phase. Seems like a tangent on my resume, but not on a day like today.

And thx to @BrookingsFP COMM for their speedy help w/ this too!