India, the Philippines, and the Future of the SQUAD Alliance: Should India Join?
Today, we will discuss a crucial geopolitical issue that has sparked international attention. The Philippines recently made a bold statement, declaring that India and the Philippines share a common enemy—China. As a result, they have urged India to join the SQUAD alliance, which aims to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
This statement raises several strategic questions—Will India join this new alliance? Should India openly consider China an enemy? And if India joins SQUAD, what will be the impact on QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue)? Let’s analyze the entire issue in detail.
1. India-Philippines Relations: Why is Military Cooperation Growing?
The Philippines is a key country in Southeast Asia and a member of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), which promotes economic and security cooperation among its members.
In recent years, India and the Philippines have strengthened their bilateral ties, especially in defense and security.
- BrahMos Missile Deal: In 2022, the Philippines signed a $375 million deal with India to purchase BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, marking a major step in defense cooperation.
- Maritime Security Cooperation: Both nations share concerns over China’s aggressive expansion in the South China Sea. The Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy have conducted joint exercises to strengthen maritime security.
Given these developments, the Philippines sees India as a reliable defense partner and now wants India to officially join the SQUAD alliance.
2. What is the SQUAD Alliance? How is it Different from QUAD?
To understand SQUAD, we first need to look at QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue)—an alliance comprising India, the USA, Japan, and Australia, primarily focused on maintaining security in the Indo-Pacific region.
How SQUAD Was Formed
- In 2024, under US President Joe Biden, the US formed a new alliance called SQUAD, replacing India with the Philippines.
- The reason? Some American geopolitical analysts believed India was not decisive enough in countering China, whereas the Philippines, being a pro-US Christian-majority country, would be a more reliable partner.
- At the time, Western media claimed that QUAD was “dying,” and SQUAD was the new dominant security alliance.
Key Differences Between QUAD and SQUAD
Initially, SQUAD was seen as a direct replacement for QUAD, but now the Philippines wants India to rejoin.
3. Why is the Philippines Now Asking India to Join SQUAD?
At first, the Philippines seemed comfortable with SQUAD, but recent events have shaken their confidence in US support. There are two main reasons for this:
A. Donald Trump’s “America First” Policy
- With Donald Trump likely returning as US President, his foreign policy is expected to be less committed to defending allies.
- Trump has made it clear that America will only protect allies if they provide something valuable in return.
- This has alarmed the Philippines, Japan, and even NATO allies.
B. US-Japan Defense Treaty Under Threat
- The US and Japan have a Mutual Defense Treaty, meaning the US must defend Japan in case of an attack.
- Trump called this treaty “unfair”, questioning why