Google searches for the phrase "Thucydides Trap" surged after Chinese President Xi Jinping used the term during discussions surrounding his high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump. For many Americans, it was likely the first time they had ever heard the phrase.
But in Beijing, it was not an obscure historical reference casually thrown into conversation.
In China's leadership circles, the phrase carries enormous strategic weight. It refers to the ancient idea, first written about by Greek historian Thucydides, that war often becomes likely when a rising power begins challenging an established one. In this case, the rising power is clearly China, and the established superpower is the United States.
But the most important part of Xi's warning may not be that China is rising. Rising powers have always existed throughout history. The deeper issue is this: China increasingly appears to believe America is vulnerable enough to challenge.
That should concern every American regardless of political party. MORE
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