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David M. Pritchard, Associate Professor of Greek History, The University of Queensland

What is the ‘Thucydides trap’ Xi warned Trump about? Lessons from an ancient war between Athens and Sparta

Thucydides Athens Sparta Donald Trump Xi Jinping United States Graham Allison Beijing China
Grafissimo/Getty

During their high-stakes meeting in Beijing this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly asked US President Donald Trump if the two countries could overcome the “Thucydides trap”.

This phrase, popularised by contemporary US political scientist Graham Allison in the early 2010s, is used to describe how two countries can drift toward war when an existing superpower feels anxious about an emerging one. Allison had China and the US in mind specifically.

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