Some guy once said “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
The concept behind the proverb “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is found in the ancient Sanskrit treatise Arthashastra, attributed to Kautilya (also known as Chanakya), a political philosopher and advisor to the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta I.
This treatise, dating to around the 4th century BC, outlines statecraft, military strategy, and economic policy, and it formalizes the strategic idea that a ruler’s enemy is the natural ally of a neighboring power that is itself threatened by the same conqueror.
Specifically, Kautilya describes a king whose territory borders that of an enemy as a natural ally of the conqueror, because they are separated from the conqueror only by the enemy.
This strategic framework, known as Rajamandala or the “circle of kings,” was used to inform foreign policy and alliances in ancient India.
The concept behind the proverb “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is found in the ancient Sanskrit treatise Arthashastra, attributed to Kautilya (also known as Chanakya), a political philosopher and advisor to the Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta I.
This treatise, dating to around the 4th century BC, outlines statecraft, military strategy, and economic policy, and it formalizes the strategic idea that a ruler’s enemy is the natural ally of a neighboring power that is itself threatened by the same conqueror.
Specifically, Kautilya describes a king whose territory borders that of an enemy as a natural ally of the conqueror, because they are separated from the conqueror only by the enemy.
This strategic framework, known as Rajamandala or the “circle of kings,” was used to inform foreign policy and alliances in ancient India.