The Visual Rhetoric of Great Power Competition: A Design Perspective on the Thucydides Trap The Thucydides Trap, a concept born from ancient Greek history, has become increasingly relevant in modern international relations.
This phenomenon, where an emerging power challenges an established one, leading to conflict and potentially war, was first described by the Athenian historian Thucydides in his account of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.
The parallels between this ancient model and the current US China rivalry are striking, with both sides struggling to assert dominance in a rapidly changing global landscape.