Introduction
T.V. Paul’s The Unfinished Quest: India’s Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi offers a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of India’s journey toward becoming a major global power. This work contributes to the fields of Indian foreign policy studies and international relations by tracing India’s geopolitical ambitions across seven decades, from its first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to the current administration under Narendra Modi. The span of Paul’s historical perspective provides invaluable insights into the persistent challenges and recurring patterns that have characterized India’s international relations, allowing for a deeper understanding of the continuities and changes in India’s foreign policy orientation, strategies, and outcomes.
At the heart of Paul’s argument is the concept of “strategic under-achievement,” which describes India’s inability to fully realize its potential as a major power, despite possessing significant resources and capabilities. This concept provides a more holistic understanding of India’s trajectory than previous works that have tended to focus predominantly on either domestic or international factors. By examining the interplay between internal constraints, regional challenges, and global systemic factors, the author provides a multifaceted and compelling framework for understanding the complexities of India’s quest for major power status. This approach challenges some of the more optimistic assessments of India’s ascent, favoring a more tempered view, considering the obstacles that have hampered it.
This provides a counterpoint to more optimistic assessments of India’s rise, such as those presented by Harsh V. Pant (2016). While Pant emphasizes India’s growing economic and strategic clout, Paul offers a more tempered view, highlighting the persistent obstacles that have hampered India’s ascent. The work also engages the concept of “strategic autonomy,” a cornerstone of Indian foreign policy since independence emphasized by scholars like Rajesh Basrur (Reference Basrur2017). Paul, however, argues that the rigid adherence to strategic autonomy has sometimes acted as a constraint, limiting India’s ability to form crucial alliances and partnerships that could have accelerated its rise to major power status.
Nuclear apathy: India’s twin foreign policy failures
The book’s analysis of India’s nuclear policy and its impact on the country’s major power aspirations challenges the notion, advanced by Bharat Karnad (Reference Karnad2008), that nuclear weapons are a shortcut to great power status. Instead, he argues that while nuclearization has enhanced India’s security, it has not automatically translated into major power status, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive theory of power accumulation.
Paul introduces the concept of “nuclear apathy” to describe India’s approach to its nuclear capabilities. He contends that India has failed to fully leverage its nuclear status in two critical ways. First, it has not effectively used its nuclear deterrent to resolve long-standing territorial disputes, particularly with China. Second, India has been unable to translate its nuclear capabilities into broader diplomatic leverage on the global stage. This “twin failure,” as Paul terms it, has significantly hampered India’s quest for major power status.
These developments are viewed from a longer historical perspective. The author traces the evolution of India’s nuclear program from the “nuclear option” strategy of the 1960s and 1970s to the overt nuclearization in 1998. He argues that India’s traditional emphasis on nuclear disarmament, coupled with its reluctance to fully integrate nuclear weapons into its military doctrine, has created a paradoxical situation where India possesses nuclear weapons but struggles to derive strategic benefits from them. While scholars like Vipin Narang (Reference Narang2014) focus on the deterrence benefits of India’s nuclear strategy, Paul contends that these benefits have not significantly advanced India’s major power aspirations.
Moreover, the book examines the international reactions to India’s nuclear status, particularly the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement of 2008. Paul argues that while this agreement marked India’s de facto acceptance into the global nuclear order, it has not resulted in the kind of diplomatic clout that India had hoped for. This analysis builds on and extends The US Pivot and Indian Foreign Policy (Pant and Joshi Reference Pant and Joshi2017), providing a more critical assessment of the agreement’s long-term impact on India’s global standing.
Looking forward, Paul suggests that overcoming this “nuclear apathy” will be crucial for India’s major power ambitions. He advocates for a more strategic approach to India’s nuclear policy, one that balances deterrence with diplomatic leverage while maintaining India’s commitment to global disarmament. This nuanced position offers a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate about the role of nuclear weapons in India’s foreign policy and its quest for major power status.
The reality of India’s major power aspirations
Paul’s assessment of India’s relationship with the United States and its impact on India’s major power aspirations navigates the complex dynamics of this relationship, acknowledging the significant shifts that have occurred since the end of the Cold War while also highlighting the persistent challenges and misalignments. This analysis provides a more nuanced perspective than works like Ashley J. Tellis (Reference Tellis2016), which emphasized the potential of the U.S.-India partnership without fully grappling with its limitations; and Sumit Ganguly (Reference Ganguly2010), which focuses primarily on other external factors.
The book’s examination of India’s approach to global governance institutions and multilateral forums is another significant contribution. Paul argues that India’s engagement with these institutions has been characterized by a tension between its desire for greater influence and its reluctance to take on increased global responsibilities.
This is partly achieved by paying attention to the role of domestic factors in shaping India’s foreign policy and its pursuit of major power status. He examines how internal political dynamics, bureaucratic structures, and societal attitudes have influenced India’s international behavior.
Paul’s assessment of India’s soft balancing strategies, particularly in relation to China, offers valuable insights into the complexities of managing great power relationships in a multipolar world. In reference to John Garver’s Protracted Contest: Sino-Indian Rivalry in the Twentieth Century (Reference Garver2001), he takes into account recent developments such as the formation of the Quad and India’s participation in the Indo-Pacific strategy. A comparative analysis of how internal political dynamics, bureaucratic structures, and societal attitudes influence foreign policy in other aspiring powers (e.g., Brazil, Indonesia, or Turkey) could provide valuable context for understanding India’s unique challenges and opportunities.
The book’s examination of India’s energy security challenges and their impact on the country’s foreign policy is another noteworthy contribution. Paul argues that India’s growing energy needs have significantly shaped its international behavior, influencing its relationships with major oil-producing countries and its approach to global climate negotiations. This analysis provides a more comprehensive assessment of how energy considerations intersect with broader foreign policy goals.
A global fight for international clout
Paul’s discussion of India’s diaspora policy and its potential as a foreign policy tool offers fresh insights into an often-overlooked aspect of the country’s quest for major power status. Drawing on Latha Varadarajan (Reference Varadarajan2010), he provides a more focused analysis of how diaspora engagement relates to India’s global ambitions.
The book’s assessment of India’s approach to global commons issues, such as cybersecurity and space policy, is particularly valuable given the increasing importance of these domains in international relations. Paul argues that India’s engagement with these emerging areas of global governance will be crucial for its aspirations to major power status. This analysis builds upon a more explicit link between these technological issues and India’s broader foreign policy goals.
Paul’s examination of India’s cultural diplomacy efforts and their limitations offers a nuanced perspective on the country’s soft power potential. He engages with the ideas put forward by scholars like Jakub Zajączkowski, Jivanta Schottli, and Manish Thapa (Reference Zajączkowski, Schottli and Thapa2015), but provides a more critical assessment of the challenges India faces in translating its cultural assets into geopolitical influence.
The book’s analysis of India’s approach to global economic institutions and its quest for a larger role in the international financial order is another significant contribution. Paul examines India’s engagement with institutions like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as its participation in newer forums like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Following approaches offered by Sanjaya Baru (Reference Baru2006), it offers a more comprehensive assessment of how economic diplomacy relates to India’s broader quest for major power status.
One of the most valuable aspects of Paul’s work is his forward-looking analysis of India’s potential trajectories toward major power status. His approach weaves together multiple critical factors: internal political dynamics, economic development challenges, and evolving societal attitudes domestically, while also examining external elements like regional security concerns, shifting global power dynamics, and diplomatic relationships. This multifaceted framework allows Paul to move beyond simplistic forecasting models, offering instead a sophisticated analysis that acknowledges the complex interplay between domestic and international influences. Unlike more linear analyses, Paul’s work recognizes the inherent uncertainty in geopolitical forecasting while providing a realistic assessment of India’s potential future. This approach stands in contrast to deterministic models that might overlook the intricate nature of how domestic developments can shape international aspirations.
The book’s assessment of India’s defense partnerships and arms procurement policies updates Amit Gupta’s (Reference Gupta2012) earlier analysis. Where Gupta emphasized India’s over-reliance on Russian military hardware and highlighted the bureaucratic inefficiencies in India’s procurement process, Paul examines how India has since diversified its defense partnerships while still struggling with similar structural challenges. Paul specifically analyzes how India’s post-2014 defense modernization efforts have created what he terms a “partnership paradox” - while India has successfully expanded its defense relationships with the US and Israel, reducing its dependency on Russia, this diversification has ironically complicated standardization efforts and increased maintenance costs across its military platforms.
Paul’s discussion of India’s approach to international law and its implications for the country’s global standing is another noteworthy contribution. He examines India’s engagement with various international legal regimes, including its complex relationship with the International Criminal Court and its approach to maritime law.
The book’s examination of India’s environmental diplomacy and its approach to global climate negotiations offers important insights into a critical aspect of contemporary international relations. Paul argues that India’s stance on climate issues has significant implications for its major power aspirations and its relationships with both developed and developing countries.
Conclusion
Overall, the book stands as a seminal work in the field of Indian foreign policy studies and international relations. This comprehensive and theoretically grounded analysis offers a nuanced examination of India’s journey toward major power status over seven decades. By engaging with and building upon a wide range of existing literature, Paul provides a multifaceted exploration of the challenges, opportunities, and persistent patterns that have characterized India’s foreign policy.
Throughout the book, Paul’s concept of “strategic under-achievement” serves as a masterful diagnostic framework for understanding India’s constrained trajectory toward major power status. At its core, this phenomenon manifests through three critical and interlinked dimensions that create a self-reinforcing cycle of unrealized potential. First, India’s strategic positioning reflects a fundamental paradox: its dogmatic adherence to strategic autonomy, while intended to maintain independence, effectively hampers the formation of crucial alliances that could accelerate its rise. This is most evident in what Paul terms “nuclear apathy,” where India has failed to convert its nuclear capabilities into meaningful diplomatic leverage. Second, in the institutional sphere, India exhibits what might be called “responsibility reluctance” – seeking greater influence in global governance while hesitating to shoulder the leadership burdens that accompany major power status. Third, and perhaps most critically, domestic structural constraints – including bureaucratic ossification and fragmented policymaking – systematically impede India’s ability to project power effectively. The “partnership paradox” in defense relationships epitomizes these challenges, where attempts to diversify, military partnerships have ironically led to increased operational complexities rather than strategic advantages. Collectively, these factors produce what could be termed a “potential-performance gap,” where even significant diplomatic achievements like the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement ultimately reflect a pattern of securing sub-optimal outcomes relative to India’s inherent capabilities and aspirations. Paul’s analysis of the interplay between domestic factors, regional dynamics, and global systemic constraints offers valuable insights into the complexities of India’s geopolitical aspirations.
While the book makes significant contributions to our understanding of India’s quest for major power status, it is not without limitations. Some readers might find that Paul’s focus on strategic under-achievement underplays India’s advances in certain areas of foreign policy. Additionally, the book’s forward-looking projections could have been more thoroughly underpinned by its comprehensive historical analysis. However, these minor critiques do not significantly detract from the overall value of the work.
The Unfinished Quest offers a valuable framework for understanding India’s past trajectory and future prospects as an aspiring major power. It is a solid foundation for further research on India’s evolving role in the global order. Paul’s work not only contributes to the academic discourse on Indian foreign policy but also has practical implications for scholars seeking to navigate the complexities of India’s international relations. As such, this book stands as an essential contribution to the field, offering a comprehensive and thought-provoking analysis that will likely shape discussions on India’s global ambitions for years to come.
