The Aukus effect

Alliance could bolster the Quad's impact

The timing of the pact among Australia, the UK, and the US (Aukus for short) has proven providential for India just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, summit on September 24. The fact that this will be the first in-person meeting of the Quad leaders since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic — a virtual summit was held in March this year — has upped expectations for the summit, especially against the background of the US’s abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan and growing concerns around China’s expanded influence in that region and