A Study on the Employment of Kautilya’s Sāḍguṇya as the Political Diplomacy In Sri Lanka Post 2015 Period

Abstract

Foreign policy is an endless dialogue between the powers of continuity and the powers of change (Adnan, 2014, P.657-659). ‘Political Diplomacy’ is the significant tool in foreign policy. Traditional diplomacy is capable of bringing peace, but Political diplomacy is capable of bringing not only peace but also prosperity. Kauilya who was the key advisor of King Chandragupta offered the Arthaśāstra as argument among war and diplomacy at about 300 B.C.E. As the prominent figure of Realism in Asia Kauilya redefined the unchallengeable ancient political wisdom through the theory of Sāḍguṇya. Kauilya recognized six fold principles of foreign policy through Sāḍguṇya named; making peace (Sandhi), waging war (Vigraha), staying quiet (Asana), preparing for war (Yāna), seeking support (Sansaraya), and the dual policy of making peace with one while waging war against another (Dvaidhibbhava). He has emphasised as tactics Saman (concillation), Dama (gifts), Bheda (dissension) and Danda (force) with six strategies of Sāḍguṇya. It's relevant with western theories of Morganthau’s hard power and Joseph Nye’s Soft power. According to Lakshman Kadirgramar, ‘The role of a diplomat is not to go to the Buckingham Palace in top-hat and tailcoat but to diplomatically work out economic and trade agreements beneficial to all the people of Sri Lanka’(The fine art of economic diplomacy, 2016). 2015, was a significant turning point of Sri Lanka. The UNP and SLFP have been governing country since 1948. But a new era of political collaboration through silent revolution has begun by the good governance coalition. Since then this government’s foreign policy, trade policy and fiscal policy has shifted and also the perspectives of rest of the world towards the Sri Lanka have changed with global economic power shift. After 30years war, Sri Lanka is finding political stability and sustainable economic development and also has already used sandhi, asana, sansaraya and dvaidhibbhavaas major strategies of political diplomacy under rebalancing china- Indu- Japan political - economic relations since 2015. This research will be conducted on both primary data &secondary data. Data analysed using descriptive statistics method. Would Sri Lanka be able to fulfil the major role being the economic hub of Indian Ocean through the Asian Centric Middle Path Foreign Policy of new coalition government?