&gt; <i>I&#x27;m willing to bet that Machiavelli is MUCH more well known by political scholars than Chanakya.</i><p>By <i>western</i> scholars. Honestly, I went to an Indian school and an American university, and I&#x27;ve never heard of Machiavelli until just now.<p>Chanakya, for me, is a household name. And so it is for over a billion people. I am willing to bet Machiavelli is not a common household name for over a billion people. So he&#x27;s less popular, and he came a thousand years later. So I do think that OP has a point.<p>That said, there is no denying that this is an article written by an Indian for a Western publication. So it is apt in this context.