The Enemy of Your Enemy
We all have heard the phrase “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” in one form or the other. It is a very simple and intuitive concept – two parties should work together against a common enemy – which is the basis of many modern international relations. The Arthashastra – an ancient manuscript dating back to 2nd Century BC – is considered as the earliest records containing this particular strategy (along with many other on state-affairs, economics and military). It was originally written in Sanskrit in ancient India.
It can be understood as a slight modification of the Triadic Closure Property, which takes into account the theory of structural balance. According to Triadic Closure Property, if a person A is friends with a person B and person C, then there is a high probability that B and C will become friends. Instead of A being friends with B and C, if A is a common enemy, then B and C should become friends according to the ancient manuscript. The resulting network so formed is definitely balanced.
In the real world, there are many perfect examples that enact this strategy word by word, and there are many other examples which require complex analysis. The association of USSR and the USA during World War 2 is one such perfect example. The United States and the Soviet Union, despite their own bitter relations with each other, joined forces together to defeat a common enemy – Germany under the Nazi regime. Hitler posed a threat to the USA as well as the USSR which forced these two countries to become allies. Today, there is a complex relationship between the two. They are not exactly on friendly terms but both, at some level, are trying to fight ISIS together.
Another such example is the Bangladesh Liberation War. East Pakistan (Bangladesh) wanted to be free from the West Pakistan (Pakistan) which eventually led to a war. India, having an estranged relationship with Pakistan, supported Bangladesh in their war for freedom.
The case of Syria is pretty complicated as well as interesting. By not making an in-depth analysis of the situation, but rather drawing out a broader example, we can show a violation of the concept discussed above. Syria, USA, and the ISIS are all enemies of each other, trying to fight each other and forming a structurally unbalanced network. Thus, it cannot be said that an enemy of your enemy will always become your friend, but in most of the cases, it holds true.
The enemy of my enemy is indeed a fascinating entity over which many friendships are formed – from personal friends to foreign policies.
Link: https://www.csis.org/analysis/iraq-enemy-my-enemy-not-my-friend