The future of the Quad in the age of Trump

The Quad partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States has emerged as major pillar of diplomatic architecture in the Indo-Pacific with a sweeping agenda from maritime cooperation to economic security and disaster relief. In 2025, two Quad Foreign Ministers Meetings helped consolidate a refreshed agenda between the four countries. However, the lack of a leaders-level summit under the second Trump administration and lingering challenges in the relationship between the US and Indian governments has left some observers uncertain about the future of the Quad in a new era of geopolitical upheaval.The United States Studies Centre hosted this public event following a day of closed-door discussion at the second Quad Leadership Track-1.5 Dialogue. The panel discussed the regional challenges facing the four Quad countries and outlined key areas for cooperation, including on economic security, transnational security and critical technologies — as well as how to deepen the agenda beyond the Quad amongst other regional partners.Panel of experts:USSC CEO Dr Michael GreenUSSC Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Dr Lavina LeeCenter for Strategic and International Studies Senior Advisor and Australia Chair Dr Charles EdelObserver Research Foundation America Executive Director Dhruva JaishankarModerated by Sydney Morning Herald Foreign Affairs and National Security Correspondent Matthew Knott.