Destined For War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?—A Critical Examination of Historical Patterns Leading to War Between Great Powers

by Graham Allison

Thucydides’s concept encompasses what we now think of as a state’s sense of itself, its convictions about the recognition and respect it is due, and its pride. As Athens’s power grew over the fifth century, so too did its sense of entitlement.