KAUTILYA’S MANDALA THEORY AND THE CONTEMPORARY STRATEGIC LANDSCAPE OF SOUTH ASIA

The prevalence of Western theoretical paradigms in international relations (IR) has replaced many traditional non-Western approaches to strategic thinking. Kautilya’s mandala theory, published in Arthashastra, was one of the first systematic explanations of how countries interact with each other. This article reevaluates the Mandala hypothesis in the context of current South Asian politics. It says that Kautilya’s “concentric-circle model” can help us understand the India-China and India-Pakistan rivalries, as well as the hedging strategies of the smaller South Asian governments. In this model, close neighbours are natural enemies, and neighbours’ neighbours are possible allies. The study ends with an evaluation of the applicability and constraints of Mandala logic in the twenty-first century, based on a survey of the literature, new policy documents from the Ministry of External Affairs, and qualitative textual analysis. Mandala theory doesn’t take into account the economic interdependence, international organisations, and non-state actors that are at play, even though it is very similar to realist (especially realism) and balance-of-power frameworks. The report says that mandala is a basic but not enough way to look at how South Asia’s strategic landscape has changed over time.