The Thucydides Trap

The Thucydides Trap - Our visiting doyen of Ancient History, Dr David Rafferty, explains the story behind the term often used to describe the contemporary rivalry between the USA and China.

A distant war between two alliances of small Greek cities nearly 2500 years ago hardly seems like something we should pay attention to. That we continue to read about the Peloponnesian War is due mostly to the remarkable man who wrote its history: Thucydides. He was an Athenian general who took part in the war's early stages before defeat and exile saw him a bystander for the rest of its 27 years of destruction.

Apart from his masterly narrative of the war itself, Thucydides touches on democracy, leadership, alliances, strategy, revolution, war's tendency to generate its own forces, the nature of courage, the evolution of tactics, and the consequences of stupidity. He set out to write a treasure for all time, and the fact that his work has been endlessly revisited over the centuries suggests he succeeded. This talk will discuss the war itself and precisely why Thucydides’ History is still a book everyone should read who wants to understand human affairs.

Time: 1830 lecture begins; 1930 dinner

Members Price: $65.00; $15.00 lecture only

Non-Members: $75.00; $15.00 lecture only

Dress: Jacket and Tie

RSVP: By Monday 6 September