
New Books in Political Science T. V. Paul, "The Unfinished Quest: India's Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi" (Oxford UP, 2024)
May 14, 2026
T. V. Paul, Distinguished James McGill Professor and expert on international security and status, discusses India’s long quest for major power recognition. He traces status theory from Nehru to Modi. Topics include missed institutional opportunities, nuclear tests and accommodation, China-India rivalry, diplomatic weaknesses, strategic autonomy, and how domestic rhetoric fails to convert into global influence.
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Missed Historical Moments Shaped India's Status Trajectory
- India's quest for major power status is driven by status dynamics and missed institutional opportunities since 1945.
- T. V. Paul cites missed junctures: exclusion from the 1945 UN Security Council and the 1968 NPT cutoff, which constrained India's institutional recognition.
Status Is A Club Good Requiring Peer Acceptance
- Status acquisition requires both material attributes and peer-group acceptance, which is often zero-sum.
- Paul explains newcomers face closed
Nuclear Tests Brought Isolation Then Later Accommodation
- India tested in 1974 and then again in 1998, but timing and strategy limited benefits.
- Paul recounts the 1974 Pokhran test led to decades of sanctions and technological isolation until post-Cold War accommodation around 1998.





