India‟s enhanced international stature is generally attributed to its impressive economic progress and integration in the international system since the 1990s. However, many ascribe it to the phenomenal growth of its military power projection capability built around strong nuclear deterrent. Notwithstanding this debate, there is no denying the fact that a sustained effort on the part of India has earned it the status of a power to be reckoned with. Empirical evidence suggests that in India‟s quest for power projection capability nuclear deterrence played the key role which forced Pakistan to go nuclear resulting in complete transformation of South Asia‟s strategic landscape. India‟s relationships with major countries have been so configured as to serve its intent to maximise hard military power. However, its behaviour toward smaller neibhbours has been marked by status-interest paradox, a concept theorised in this study in which stronger states like India in their interactions with smaller states tend to be overwhelmed by statusconsciousness and take ego-based decisions relegating cost-benefit material interests to a lower priority. Its strategic culture which drives its behaviour as a state is embedded in the sociocultural and religious moorings of Hinduism and Kautilya‟s philosophical precepts of statecraft which both combined provide motivation for maximisation of hard military power including nuclear weapons. Its behaviour is best explained by John Mearsheimer‟s theory of offensive realism and Kautilya‟s realist principles whereas some useful insight into its strategic mindset is also provided by liberalism and constructivism. The study reveals that India‟s efforts to maximise its power projection capability have negatively impacted on regional stability and given rise to nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan which points to the need for an arms control and disarmament regime in the region. The impact of India‟s military build-up has been studied in the framework of strategic quadrangle, a concept introduced in this study.