Publication

This publication looks at the notion of a “Thucydides Trap” – a metaphor that draws a comparison between Thucydides’ contention that the rising power of Athens made war “inevitable” between Athens and Sparta in the 5th century BCE, and the current relationship between China and the US. It concludes that the Thucydides Trap, as conceived and presented by Graham Allison, draws welcome attention both to Thucydides and to the pitfalls of great power competition, but fails as a heuristic device or predictive tool in the analysis of contemporary events.