The “Thucydides Trap” Trap: Are Modern Strategists Misreading Ancient History?

Robert Stone and Josh Hammond challenge the prevailing "fortune cookie" readings of Thucydides that dominate modern foreign policy and international relations theory. They discuss how common translations distort original Greek concepts like greatness, power, and necessity, creating a false sense of inevitability around great power conflict. They also unpack the dynamic differences between maritime and continental powers, re-examine famous passages like the Melian Dialogue as strategic failures rather than realist triumphs, and highlight the understated resilience of democratic decision-making in war.