“Thucydides Trap”

a debate on the theme of the inevitability of war

Abstract

This article falls within the broad field of Defense and International Security Studies. The objective of the paper was to present a brief theoretical discussion on the theme of the "inevitability of war", which is linked to certain specificities that have marked the outbreak of conflicts throughout history. The methodology used was a historiographical debate. The results achieved are as follows: a historical pattern of rivalry/conflict in the international system can be identified, which Graham Allison referred to as the "Thucydides Trap," generally associated with armed clashes between land and maritime powers. This pattern is related to the existence of contexts of multiple transformations in the international order, generally triggered by wars. It is concluded that the study of history is a discipline that provides insights into the impact of war, demonstrating that its imminence is not always adequately interpreted and/or managed by political leadership.