San Antonio College Library

The notion of a "Thucydides Trap" that will ensnare China and the United States in a 21st century conflict -- much as the rising power of Athens alarmed Sparta and made war "inevitable" between the Aegean superpowers of the 5th century BCE -- has received global attention since entering the international relations lexicon 6 years ago. Scholars, journalists, bloggers, and politicians in many countries, notably China, have embraced this beguiling metaphor,...