मित्रमित्रमरेश्चापि मित्रमित्रेण वारयेत् ॥ कZ_०७.१३.४०च्द् ॥
mitramitram areś cāpi mitramitreṇa vārayet
Do mesmo modo, deve-se conter o aliado do inimigo (e os alinhamentos correlatos) por meio do aliado do aliado.
Kautilya recommends operating through second-order relationships (friends-of-friends) to contain hostile coalitions without direct escalation.