The Arthashastra
by Kauṭalya. · first published 1923
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This is an extraordinary detailed manual on statecraft and the science of living by one of classical India's greatest minds. Kautilya, also known as Chanakya and Vishnugupta, wrote the Arthashastra not later than 150 AD. His genius is reflected in this volume, which is the most comprehensive treatise of statecraft of classical times.
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I don't know whether it's well-regarded; I do however highly recommend the translation-cum-rearrangement by Rangarajan: http://www.amazon.com/Arthashastra-Penguin-classics-Kautilya... (I've read it myself, and found it quite good.) (He's re-arranged it to be coherent for a modern reader; one reason for this is because the original was meant to be memorised…
on “Chanakya: India's Machiavelli” ↗…Bondanella in Oxford World's Classics is noteworthy. 4) Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini translated by Mario Domandi. 5) The First Great Political Realist: Kautilya and His Arthashastra by Roger Boesche - A very nice summary of the magnum opus "Arthashastra" from Ancient India. 6) King, Governance, and Law in Ancient India: Kautilya's Arthasastra translated and annotated by Patrick…
on “Notes from a Sun Tzu Skeptic (2019)” ↗…free markets existed in India, Arabia and China long before this, the 'Silk route/road' gave birth to first truly global and free market with many 'bazaars'. There is a whole book in Sanskrit named as "Arthashastra", which was written in 3rd century BCE. This is again some kind of whitewashing the history where Europeans seem to have invented everything and nothing ever happened before them.
on “How religion shaped modern economics” ↗…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fow7iUaKrq4 .) [1] Compare https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-why-wh... and remember that the case of TFA starts in 1974 with social engineering via "Nadia." I'm pretty sure the Arthashastra mentions social engineering via thirst trap, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Shi has a similar story. Then there's https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/12/all-you... 's account of deradicalisation…
on “How to catch a spy that is using a numbers station – The KGB Experience” ↗