The concept of a 'Thucydides trap' is misguided

Mark Davidson <[email protected]> Wed, 16 Oct 2019 18:07:32 +0200
Newsgroups gmane.education.classics
Message-ID <CAFNhR-sRrmf__LX+Mi+XGe6LW_iEV0n9ggN_8KuNtx62tzQmbA@mail.gmail.com>
Some common sense about Thucydides for once, in an article by Robert
Zaretsky in the NYT:

"Is it possible that the real trap, though, is the still widely
unquestioned assumption that Thucydides was a political realist? That if he
does offer lessons, they are not found in the study of international
relations but in the study of human nature? That his brand of realism has
little to do with the work of modern political theorists and much to do
with the work of ancient tragedians?"

Full article:
https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2019%2F10%2F16%2Fopinion%2Ftrump-history-lessons.html&amp;data=02%7C01%7CCLASSICS-L%40lsv.uky.edu%7C164f86e66ef64834694608d75252bef1%7C2b30530b69b64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C0%7C637068387648036896&amp;sdata=1twrTzNyTEHNsUx9VrTMv0tP2K8uZGFOiyCF4rgM2jg%3D&amp;reserved=0

Mark D