Global Research Institute

Location

On Wednesday, November 11, from 11:30-12:30, Dr. Seth Jaffe of LUISS Guido Carli will be presenting his paper on "Peloponnesian Warnings? Reformulating the Thucydides Trap" in Chancellors Hall 322.  Dr. Mike Desch of the University of Notre Dame will be moderating.

Title: Peloponnesian Warnings? Reformulating the Thucydides Trap

Abstract: Working at the intersection of International Relations and Greek Thought, S.N. Jaffe draws on his original interpretation of Thucydides’s account of the causes of war to explore arguments surrounding the “inevitability” of conflict between America and China. Contrary to those who appropriate Thucydides as the first power transition theorist, Jaffe argues that the Thucydidean account of the origins of the Peloponnesian War in fact involves second image claims, which fundamentally alter the meaning of the necessity (or “inevitability”) of the conflict. Thucydides is not advancing a social scientific theory about power transition but instead showing his political readership -- citizens, soldiers, and statesmen -- how foreign policy path dependencies develop, which involves an exploration of how dangerous conflicts of interests can lead to great power war.

Sponsored by: The Global Research Institute

Contact

Tiffany Clarke

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