Penerapan Strategi Kautilya dalam Kebijakan Luar Negeri India Terhadap Pakistan dan Cina
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the implementation of Kautilya’s classical strategy in modern India’s foreign policy towards Pakistan and China. Utilizing Realism and the Shadgunya concept from the Arthashastra as its theoretical framework, this descriptive-qualitative research adopts a literature study approach to dissect the geopolitical dynamics of South Asia. The results indicate that India offensively applies the Vigraha (confrontation) pillar against Pakistan as its primary adversary, while utilizing the Sandhi (alliance) pillar through the QUAD to curb China’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific. Concurrently, the Dvaidhibhava (dual policy) pillar is flexibly deployed toward China to balance border disputes with economic partnerships. In conclusion, ancient Indian strategic thought remains pragmatically relevant, actively adopted by contemporary policymakers to secure national interests and maintain a balance of power in the region
Downloads
References
Barman, A., & Adhikary, A. (2025). Kautilya’s foreign policy and its contemporary relevance to India. Scholarly Research Journal for Humanity Science & English Language, 12(3), 15-22. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15124283
Bisht, M. (2020). Kautilya's Arthashastra: Philoshophy of strategy. London: Routledge .
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Dayana, A. S. (2019, 08 09). Sejarah konflik Kashmir, perang antara India-Pakistan. Diambil dari Tirto: https://tirto.id/sejarah-konflik-kashmir-perang-antara-india-pakistan-efXg
Dip. (2024, 08 08). Kepentingan India di tengah-tengah QUAD. Democracy and Integrity for Peace. Diambil, dari Democracy and Integrity for Peace: https://dip.or.id/2024/08/08/kepentingan-india-di-tengah-tengah-quad/
Edinger, H. (2023). Offensive ideas: Structural Realism, Classical Realism and Putin’s war on Ukraine. International Affairs, 99 (6), 1873-1893. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiac217
Golubtsova, E. V. (2024). India in Pakistan's military propaganda: Formation of the Enemy image. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin Series Political Sciences History International Relations, 1, 45-58. https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6339-2024-4-86-103
Kamal, K. (2022). Kautilya's Arthashastra: Strategic cultural roots of India's contemporary statecraft. London: Routledge.
Milner, H. (1991). The assumption of anarchy in International Relations theory: A critique. Review of International Studies, 17(1), 67-85. https://doi.org/10.1017/S026021050011232X
Muhaimin, R., & Martsela, P. (2024). Dinamika perimbangan kekuatan China dan India di Selat Malaka. Mondial: Hubungan Internasional, 1(1), 75-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.36722/mondial.v1i1.2793
Mukhatar, S. (2021). History of struggle for freedom in Kashmir. Shanlax International Journal of Management, 8(S1-Feb), 185–190. https://doi.org/10.34293/management.v8iS1-Feb.3774
Nagaraja, J. (2021). Utility of 'Ancient Indian Strategic Policies' in contemporary international politics of India. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT), 9(3), 84-90. Diambil dari https://www.ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2109011.pdf
Narayan M D, L., John, R., & Varghese, J. (2023). The great divide: Border disputes and geopolitical tensions between India and China. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 5(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2023.v05i06.9502
Natarajan, S. (2020, 06 17). Konflik China-India: Ada apa di balik bentrokan militer India dan China? Diambil dari BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/dunia-53074107
Pardesi, M.S. (2021). Explaining the asymmetry in the Sino-Indian strategic rivalry. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 75(3), 341-365. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357718.2021.1893267
Permana, F. E. (2022, 05 25). Apa Itu 'Quad' dan dari mana asalnya? Diambil dari Republika: https://internasional.republika.co.id/berita/rce5fq370/apa-itu-quad-dan-dari-mana-asalnya-part2
Phiri, C., Mwale, M., Ogah, A., Kalimaposo, K., Daka, H., & Mwanza, J. (2024). Unmasking international relations in the times of war in Africa: Beyond rhetoric, reality and trust. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 11(2), 553-564. https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2024.1102045
Pulami, M. J. (2024). China-India contemporary relations: Geopolitical challenges to the small states in South Asia. [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations]. Stosunki Międzynarodowe – International Relation, 1(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.12688/stomiedintrelat.17419.2
Raiz, A., Akbar, M., & Nawaz, R. (2021). Game of thrones and international politics in realism perspective. Global International Relations Review, IV(IV), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.31703/girr.2021(IV-IV).01
Roy-Chaudhury, R. (2018). India’s perspective towards China in their shared South Asian neighbourhood: cooperation versus competition. Contemporary Politics, 24(1), 98–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569775.2017.1408173
Sanjaya, V. (2020, 06 06). Perang India vs China (20 Oktober – 21 November 1962), Perang Terlupakan antara Dua Raksasa Asia. Diambil dari Sejarah Militer https://sejarahmiliter.com/perang-india-vs-china-20-oktober-21-november-1962-perang-terlupakan-antara-dua-raksasa-asia/sejarahmiliter/06/06/2020/13/25/
Sembiring, A. (2024, 10 02). Hubungan India dan China jadi kunci masa depan Asia dan dunia, apa artinya?. Diambil dari Democracy & Integrity for Peace: https://dip.or.id/2024/10/02/hubungan-india-dan-china-jadi-kunci-masa-depan-asia-dan-dunia-apa-artinya/
Set, S., & Pant, H. V. (2023). The Himalayan Barrir: Indian-China relations since Galwan. The China Review, 23(1), 135-159. https://doi.org/10.1142/9781800616318_0006
Shah, A. M., Memon, D. P., & Shah, D. (2024). Major conflicts between India and Pakistan: A critical analysis of historical tensions and geopolitical dynamics. Al-Qamar, 7(3), 25-38. https://doi.org/10.53762/6ya0xa36
Shahi, D. (2018). Kautilya and non-western IR theory. Palgrave Macmillan. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
SIPRI. (2023). World nuclear forces. Diambil dari Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: https://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2023/07
Sisodia, H., & Seth, S. (2025). India's diplomacy in a multipolar world: Analyzing 'issue-based coalitions'. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), 7(2), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i02.43436
Tsygankov, P. A. (2020). N – National Interest. Russia in Global Affairs, 18(2), 108-112. https://doi.org/10.31278/1810-6374-2020-18-1-108-112
Uddin, M. J. (2024). A theoretical understanding of Sino-Indian strategic competitor in South Asia. Journal of International Affairs, 26(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.58710/jiaV26N1Y2024A01
Yadav, H. (2021). The emergence of quad and its implications for china: analyzing the politics of balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region. Electronic Journal of Social and Strategic Studies, 2(Special Issue II), 19-30. https://doi.org/10.47362/EJSSS.2021.2202
Copyright (c) 2026 Elok Fitrotul Maulidah, Mutiara Anugerah Pekerti

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Indonesian Journal of International Relations (IJIR) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Copyright Notice
An author who publishes in the Indonesian Journal of International Relations (IJIR) agrees to the following terms:
- The author retains the copyright and grants the journal the right of first publication of the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal
- Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book) with the acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- The author is permitted and encouraged to post his/her work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges as well as earlier and greater citation of the published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
Read more about the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
Privacy Statement
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.






