Due to rising tensions between the United States and China, NYU GSAS students and faculty have decided to replicate Harvard University's Belfer Center's Thucydides Trap Project. This project has become one of the most discussed academic works on U.S.-China relations. Nevertheless, several questions persist regarding how these case studies and results can effectively apply to U.S.-China relations, particularly concerning time frames and differing circumstances.
To replicate the Thucydides Trap Case File, we adopted the same research question, hypothesis, variables, and methodology and used the same literature as the Belfer Center used. In the concluding section of the paper, we present our perspectives on applying these case studies to current U.S.-China relations.
Get in touch at trap@nyu.edu
Last updated in September 2025
