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The Peloponnesian War, chronicled by the ancient historian Thucydides, was sparked by the rise of Athens and the fear this instilled in the established power, Sparta. This dynamic—when a rising power threatens to displace a ruling power—has been termed the 'Thucydides's Trap' by political scientist Graham Allison. The central argument is that such structural shifts in the balance of power create a high risk of conflict, not necessarily because of deliberate aggression, but often through a combination of fear, misunderstanding, and the friction of third-party events. The ruling power, fearing the loss of its privileged position, may resort to preemptive action, while the rising power, emboldened by its new strength, may become more assertive in claiming what it perceives as its rightful place. Allison's research points to a sobering historical precedent: in 12 of 16 cases over the last 500 years where a major nation rose to challenge an established one, the result was war. However, the trap is not an iron law of history. Whether the trap is 'sprung' depends heavily on the choices, strategies, and diplomatic skill of the leaders involved. The concept serves not as a prediction of inevitable conflict, but as a potent analytical lens and a stark warning for contemporary statecraft in an era of great power transition.