Posted on 06/22/2018 10:40:43 AM PDT by davikkm
The rise of populism and overall political unrest has many people concerned about future of the Western world. About three years ago, it became clear to me that we were headed down a dangerous and chaotic path. This inspired me to relentlessly pursue a greater understanding of history, specifically what history may be indicating about our future. This article is about the most important “scientific history” theory I have come across: Thucydides Trap.
Thucydides was an Athenian historian and general who lived from 460 BC to 400 BC. During the Peloponnesian War (431 – 404 BC) between the Athenians and Spartans, Thucydides made a startling observation about the nature of warfare. He noticed that when a rising power threatens to displace an established power, war is almost always the result. As he explained in his book History of the Peloponnesian War, “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.”
(Excerpt) Read more at investmentwatchblog.com ...
and yet MSM still talking about Russia, Russia 24/7.
No...It's the Theory of Trump.
I remember my brother saying that Reagan would die in office because every president elected in a year that ends in zero died in office. Except he didn’t.
Thing is, unlike in the past, not only citizens, but entire nations - at least in the civilized world - simply have too much to lose to go to physical war these days. That is why the civilized world has simply not seen physical war on its soil since WWII. Well, that and the nuclear bomb makes the stakes too high.
I’m not saying this is not a risk. I’m just saying this “trap” is not the risk it used to be. At least, it’s got to get a lot worse for it to happen.
But time will tell.
Was the Falklands War an anomaly then?
Regards,
Any one who has not read “The History of the Peloponnesian War” should do so. It was assigned reading for the Western Civilization course when I was attending the Univ. of Chicago, now just another school having ditched readings like this in favor of vacuous Leftism.
Popular input in government is precisely what is causing the political unrest. People are getting fed up with the Establishment running the show without considering the needs/interests of the Deplorables. That is why Trump terrifies it.
according to the chart, this prediction has been wrong 50% of the time in the last 6 occasions.
Pretty sure the Yugoslavians would disagree with you.
Too bad
Most of what I value about what I have learned, I got from reading straight from the author who wrote it. Nothing compares.
I always think reading something that has gone through so many ‘hands’ before I see it...is JUST LIKE eating food that has been pre masticated, which is just as ridiculous and disgusting.
There are a series of books with the readings in the syllabus the course was based on. Today the teaching comes from wildly inflated price and and quality textbooks, often by the teacher.
But that was 50 years ago when there was little or no Leftist control of contents. We even had to read anti-Communist novels and other books in high school.
They are borderline in my book. Any eastern block country was.
Was the Falklands War an anomaly then?
For me, yet. My focus is really North America, Europe, Austrailia and some Asian countries. e.g. Japan.
India sort of fits in. But I would not be surprised to see a little hijinks going on between them and Pakistan from time to time.
My statement was a generalization and I fee the Falklands war as something that would only count if ordinance was launched toward the real estate in the UK.
Agree. It’s so sad. I was there through 1983. When were you there?
Theory of kinetic energy.
K.E. = 1/2 m v2.
Class of 68. After the school was shut down by the anti-war movement I left and worked a series of jobs and chased girls. It was ten years from entry that I finally got the degree (from another school) then a couple of years later my A.M.
I never could read things I was not interested :( Most of what I have learned comes from the books I read on my own.
I can list on a hand the books I was assigned to read that made and impact on me: Bleak House and Thucydides lead the list.
The Falklands War was a squabble about a couple of sparsely populated islands in the middle of the ocean instigated by a deeply unpopular regime that was trying to rally public support. It backfired and the junta in Argentina was gone from power shortly afterwards.
You will note that Britain did not bomb Argentina, nor did it invade it. So, the statement is still true.
As one of the (former) Yugoslavians I can tell you that only about 5% of the population of former Yugoslavia considered themselves “Yugoslav” - hence the problem. It was a patchwork of nations cobbled together for purely political reasons, none of whom ever really wanted to live together.
I will slightly correct what robroys woman said: while Yugoslavia was certainly “civilized” in comparison to Third World nations, I think what she meant was that there has been no war between civilized nations in THE WEST since WW2.
Thycidides “History of the Pelloponesian War”, along with Herodotus’ earlier “History”: are two ancient works that should be mandatory reading in all college history curricula...
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