Understanding the Thucydides Trap

Throughout history, the rise of powerful nations has often disrupted the international order and triggered fear, insecurity, and conflict among existing dominant states. One of the most influential concepts used to explain this phenomenon is the Thucydides Trap. The term has become increasingly popular in discussions of international relations, especially in debates surrounding the rivalry between the United States and China. It describes a dangerous structural stress that occurs when a rising power threatens to displace an established one, increasing the likelihood of war. The idea draws its name from the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who chronicled the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta in the fifth century BCE.