The Quad enters its next phase at a consequential moment. While leaders have yet to convene, two foreign ministers’ meetings this year demonstrate measured commitment to the grouping. At the same time, the Quad is becoming more operational, translating its strategic agenda into practical cooperation on maritime and energy security, critical minerals, and other areas of shared interest. How far this momentum can be sustained, however, will depend on the evolving dynamics among its four members and the trajectory of U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific and, particularly, U.S.-China relations.
Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for a panel discussion examining the Quad’s evolution under the second Trump administration and what comes next. The conversation will assess how regional actors are engaging with the Quad and where they are seeking alternatives through other mini-lateral groupings. It will explore where Quad cooperation is delivering, and whether the grouping can drive more meaningful engagement with Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, or are other mechanisms more fit for purpose?
The discussion will feature Dr. Ken Jimbo, Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at ASPI, and Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Emma Chanlett-Avery, Director for Political-Security Affairs at ASPI, will moderate the discussion.
This event is a part of phase II of ASPI's project on "Cementing the Quad in the Indo-Pacific," made possible through the generous support of the Japan Foundation.
Speakers
Dr. Ken Jimbo is Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), Managing Director of Programs at the International House of Japan (IHJ/I-House), and Professor of International Relations at Keio University. He is concurrently an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS) and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He served as Special Advisor to the Japan Ministry of Defense in 2020 and Senior Advisor to the National Security Secretariat from 2018 to 2020.
His main research interests lie in international security, Japan-U.S. security relations, emerging technologies and national security, and Japan’s foreign and defense policy. He has served as a policy advisor for various Japanese governmental commissions and research groups, including those organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. His policy writings have been published by the RAND Corporation, NBR, the Stimson Center, Pacific Forum, The Japan Times, Nikkei, Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Sankei Shimbun.
Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science and Senior Fellow and former Director (2006–2022) of its Institute of Security and International Studies. In June 2026, he was appointed to the Advisory Council of Thailand’s National Security Council. With more than three decades of experience spanning journalism, academia, think-tank research, and policy engagement, his work focuses on ASEAN and Southeast Asia, Indo-Pacific geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the implications of US–China strategic competition for regional order and middle powers. He regularly briefs governments, diplomatic missions, international organizations, financial institutions and multinational corporations, and lectures at universities and military colleges across the region and beyond.
Thitinan has held visiting positions at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the London School of Economics, the University of Victoria, and Yangon University. He is an independent expert with the ADMM-Plus Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence (ACICE), a Strategic Foresight Expert with the European Space Agency, and an International Advisory Board member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. He has also served as an Australia-ASEAN Fellow at the Lowy Institute and ASEAN@50 Fellow for New Zealand. A long-time Bangkok Post columnist, he has published more than 1,200 opinion articles and written for Project Syndicate, the Financial Times, Nikkei Asia and other international outlets. He serves on the editorial board of Journal of Democracy and received a Japanese government commendation in 2024 for contributions to Japan–Thailand and Japan–ASEAN relations. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics where he is currently a non-resident fellow.
Zack Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US strategy in Asia. He also teaches at Princeton University and serves as chairman of the board of the Open Technology Fund. He previously served on staff at the White House and Pentagon. Dr. Cooper holds a BA from Stanford University and an MPA and PhD from Princeton University. He is the author of Tides of Fortune: The Rise and Decline of Great Militaries (Yale University Press, 2025).
Farwa Aamer is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York and Editor of ASPI’s monthly South Asia Snapshot. In this role, she leads ASPI’s policy work, strategic engagement, and programming across South Asia.
Farwa brings extensive experience in regional diplomacy, U.S.–South Asia relations, and emerging policy challenges in the region. Prior to joining ASPI, she led research at the Stimson Center on the political, security, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Her work has supported high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter-and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, and climate security and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia.
From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) in New York where she also served as the Director of South Asia Program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms to advance regional cooperation on shared geopolitical, economic, and resilience priorities. In this role, she convened policy shapers, media leaders, academics, and private-sector experts from across South Asia, the United States, and the wider international community to drive dialogue and collaborative action.
Farwa received her Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and has a Masters in Management with Finance from BPP Business School, London.
Emma Chanlett-Avery (Moderator) is Deputy Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington, D.C. office and the Director for Political-Security Affairs. Emma leads Congressional outreach efforts and directs ASPI’s policy engagement on Indo-Pacific alliances. Previous to this post, she served for 20 years as a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, where she focused on United States relations with Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Thailand, and Singapore, with an emphasis on security issues. In 2023, she served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assisting the Chairman with drafting Asia policy legislation and preparing for hearings. Ms. Chanlett-Avery was a Presidential Management Fellow, with rotations in the State Department on the Korea Desk and at the Joint United States Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, Thailand. She also worked in the Office of Policy Planning as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow. She is a member of the Mansfield Foundation United States–Japan Network for the Future and a Mansfield-Luce Asia Network Scholar. She is a recipient of the Kato Prize, awarded by Washington think tanks for strengthening the United States-Japan alliance. She serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, Counselor of the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., and a Trustee of International Student Conferences, Inc. Ms. Chanlett-Avery received an MA in international security policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and her B.A. in Russian studies from Amherst College.
The Quad Reassessed: Regional Dynamics in a Changing Indo-Pacific
Host
Tue, Oct 06, 09:00 AM - 10:00 AM (EDT)
To be shared on approval (New York)
20 attendees
The Quad enters its next phase at a consequential moment. While leaders have yet to convene, two foreign ministers’ meetings this year demonstrate measured commitment to the grouping. At the same time, the Quad is becoming more operational, translating its strategic agenda into practical cooperation on maritime and energy security, critical minerals, and other areas of shared interest. How far this momentum can be sustained, however, will depend on the evolving dynamics among its four members and the trajectory of U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific and, particularly, U.S.-China relations.
Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for a panel discussion examining the Quad’s evolution under the second Trump administration and what comes next. The conversation will assess how regional actors are engaging with the Quad and where they are seeking alternatives through other mini-lateral groupings. It will explore where Quad cooperation is delivering, and whether the grouping can drive more meaningful engagement with Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, or are other mechanisms more fit for purpose?
The discussion will feature Dr. Ken Jimbo, Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at ASPI, and Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Emma Chanlett-Avery, Director for Political-Security Affairs at ASPI, will moderate the discussion.
This event is a part of phase II of ASPI's project on "Cementing the Quad in the Indo-Pacific," made possible through the generous support of the Japan Foundation.
Speakers
Dr. Ken Jimbo is Co-Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Innovation and GeoStrategy (RAIS), Managing Director of Programs at the International House of Japan (IHJ/I-House), and Professor of International Relations at Keio University. He is concurrently an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Canon Institute for Global Studies (CIGS) and an Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He served as Special Advisor to the Japan Ministry of Defense in 2020 and Senior Advisor to the National Security Secretariat from 2018 to 2020.
His main research interests lie in international security, Japan-U.S. security relations, emerging technologies and national security, and Japan’s foreign and defense policy. He has served as a policy advisor for various Japanese governmental commissions and research groups, including those organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. His policy writings have been published by the RAND Corporation, NBR, the Stimson Center, Pacific Forum, The Japan Times, Nikkei, Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and Sankei Shimbun.
Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science and Senior Fellow and former Director (2006–2022) of its Institute of Security and International Studies. In June 2026, he was appointed to the Advisory Council of Thailand’s National Security Council. With more than three decades of experience spanning journalism, academia, think-tank research, and policy engagement, his work focuses on ASEAN and Southeast Asia, Indo-Pacific geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the implications of US–China strategic competition for regional order and middle powers. He regularly briefs governments, diplomatic missions, international organizations, financial institutions and multinational corporations, and lectures at universities and military colleges across the region and beyond.
Thitinan has held visiting positions at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the London School of Economics, the University of Victoria, and Yangon University. He is an independent expert with the ADMM-Plus Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence (ACICE), a Strategic Foresight Expert with the European Space Agency, and an International Advisory Board member of the Asia New Zealand Foundation. He has also served as an Australia-ASEAN Fellow at the Lowy Institute and ASEAN@50 Fellow for New Zealand. A long-time Bangkok Post columnist, he has published more than 1,200 opinion articles and written for Project Syndicate, the Financial Times, Nikkei Asia and other international outlets. He serves on the editorial board of Journal of Democracy and received a Japanese government commendation in 2024 for contributions to Japan–Thailand and Japan–ASEAN relations. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics where he is currently a non-resident fellow.
Zack Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he studies US strategy in Asia. He also teaches at Princeton University and serves as chairman of the board of the Open Technology Fund. He previously served on staff at the White House and Pentagon. Dr. Cooper holds a BA from Stanford University and an MPA and PhD from Princeton University. He is the author of Tides of Fortune: The Rise and Decline of Great Militaries (Yale University Press, 2025).
Farwa Aamer is the Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) in New York and Editor of ASPI’s monthly South Asia Snapshot. In this role, she leads ASPI’s policy work, strategic engagement, and programming across South Asia.
Farwa brings extensive experience in regional diplomacy, U.S.–South Asia relations, and emerging policy challenges in the region. Prior to joining ASPI, she led research at the Stimson Center on the political, security, and socio-economic dimensions of transboundary river governance in the Himalayan region. Her work has supported high-level Track II dialogues and discussions designed to facilitate greater inter-and intra-regional cooperation on issues and opportunities concerning water, energy, and climate security and sustainable development in South Asia, MENA, and Central Asia.
From 2017 to 2021, Farwa was with the EastWest Institute (EWI) in New York where she also served as the Director of South Asia Program. At EWI, Farwa worked on promoting non-traditional channels of diplomacy and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms to advance regional cooperation on shared geopolitical, economic, and resilience priorities. In this role, she convened policy shapers, media leaders, academics, and private-sector experts from across South Asia, the United States, and the wider international community to drive dialogue and collaborative action.
Farwa received her Bachelors of Science degree in Economics from University College London (UCL) and has a Masters in Management with Finance from BPP Business School, London.
Emma Chanlett-Avery (Moderator) is Deputy Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington, D.C. office and the Director for Political-Security Affairs. Emma leads Congressional outreach efforts and directs ASPI’s policy engagement on Indo-Pacific alliances. Previous to this post, she served for 20 years as a Specialist in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, where she focused on United States relations with Japan, the Korean Peninsula, Thailand, and Singapore, with an emphasis on security issues. In 2023, she served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, assisting the Chairman with drafting Asia policy legislation and preparing for hearings. Ms. Chanlett-Avery was a Presidential Management Fellow, with rotations in the State Department on the Korea Desk and at the Joint United States Military Advisory Group in Bangkok, Thailand. She also worked in the Office of Policy Planning as a Harold Rosenthal Fellow. She is a member of the Mansfield Foundation United States–Japan Network for the Future and a Mansfield-Luce Asia Network Scholar. She is a recipient of the Kato Prize, awarded by Washington think tanks for strengthening the United States-Japan alliance. She serves as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Japan-America Societies, Counselor of the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., and a Trustee of International Student Conferences, Inc. Ms. Chanlett-Avery received an MA in international security policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and her B.A. in Russian studies from Amherst College.