Africa and the Thucydides Trap

Human history reveals a pattern of the rise and decline of states. In the 5th century BCE, the Greek historian Thucydides suggested that this was a factor in the disastrous Peloponnesian War. Coined in recent years, the notion of a 'Thucydides Trap' refers to a situation in which a rising power, threatening to overtake the established power, generates fear that drives both parties towards conflict. This volume explores the idea that we are currently living through a period of power transition. The current dominant power, the United States of America, remains enormously powerful. However, the global balance of economic power is being altered by the rise of the People's Republic of China. Authors in this volume argue that, amidst an increasingly multipolar distribution of wealth and power, many states are unwilling to be drawn into a system of binary competition. This book focuses on African countries within this broader global context. In so doing, it helps to fill an important gap in the existing scholarship, in which the continent is frequently depicted as an arena for the machinations of external powers. How do African countries remain clear- eyed about the dangers of the current historical period while staying alert to new opportunities to promote their socio-economic development and political autonomy? This book views African countries - both individually and collectively - as important actors with their own strategicd agency. Contributors examine how African states can navigate this global transition and actively help shape it, rather than just survive it.