# Quad has lost focus and meaning, says ex-foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale

2026-08-19T19:56:40+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said the Quad has lost its focus and strategic relevance, and India should be less "starry-eyed" about its relationship with the United States. Speaking at an event in New Delhi with former US diplomat Evan Feigenbaum, Gokhale argued the Quad has drifted from its original purpose of a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific into non-security issues, a trend that has worsened under President Donald Trump. He said the grouping should be reconsidered or supplemented by alternative arrangements. Gokhale said the US remains India's best bet on technology, essential for India's goal of becoming the world's third-largest economy, but warned that Washington's priorities have shifted away from the Indian Ocean region. He recalled that after India's 1998 nuclear tests, the US had invited China to play a greater role in South Asia, a pattern that could repeat. He also flagged the possibility of a peace deal around the Strait of Hormuz giving China a naval foothold in the Indian Ocean, and warned that US-China nuclear arms talks could pressure India to limit its own programme.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

ThePrint's report focuses on Gokhale's specific, actionable warnings about the Quad's dilution and US reliability, while the Times of India op-ed uses the churn as a springboard for a broader argument that India's entire post-2000 foreign policy consensus is broken, urging a modus vivendi with China. ThePrint is neutral-report, the Times of India is government-critical. ThePrint omits the op-ed's core claim that China has raced far ahead, which the Times of India overstates to push a multipolar framing. A careful reader should note that Gokhale himself sees the US as India's best bet on technology, a fact the Times of India downplays. Watch for whether the government signals any shift in Quad policy at the next summit. ThePrint's report is a straight account of a former diplomat's remarks, neutral in tone. The Times of India editorial page piece is a polemic arguing India's foreign policy assumptions are shattered and must be rebuilt around Eurasian interdependence. ThePrint sticks to Gokhale's specific criticisms of the Quad and US focus, the Times of India goes further, asserting the US has lost primacy and China's lead makes talk of rivalry absurd. The measured middle ground: Gokhale and Feigenbaum both identify real shifts in US engagement, but neither argues India should discard the US relationship. Watch for whether the government's Quad rhetoric changes at the next summit.

## Coverage

Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
- theprint.in (neutral report) <https://theprint.in/diplomacy/rethink-quad-be-less-starry-eyed-about-india-us-relations-ex-foreign-secy-vijay-gokhales-advice/3019483/>
  Straightforward account of former diplomat's remarks without editorialising.
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (government critical) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/world-in-churn-and-indias-foreign-policy-needs-to-adapt-to-it/articleshow/133428627.cms>
  Op-ed argues India's foreign policy consensus is broken and needs fundamental reassessment.

This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-22T18:14:03+00:00.

Tags: China, Donald Trump, Indo-Pacific, Quad, US, Vijay Gokhale
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How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/