Thucydides trap

English

Alternative forms

  • Thucydides' trap

Etymology

An allusion to the ancient Athenian historian and military general Thucydides, who posited that the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta had been inevitable because of Spartan fears of the growth of Athenian power. Coined by American political scientist Graham T. Allison.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /θjuːˈsɪdɪdiːz tɹæp/

Noun

Thucydides trap (plural Thucydides traps)

  1. An apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
    • 2025 May 10, Timothy Garton Ash, “Brace for disorder as the great global power shifts again”, in FT Weekend, page 9:
      Even if a rising superpower (China) and a relatively declining superpower (the US) are not fated to fall into the “Thucydides trap” and go to war, periods of great power shifts almost invariably bring increased international tensions.

Usage notes

  • Coined and primarily used to describe a potential conflict between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
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