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Athens Today
By the People, for the People
Trump Administration Misinterprets Thucydides' Lessons on Power
Experts warn that the US is abandoning responsible global leadership in favor of naked dominance, echoing the downfall of ancient Athens.
Apr. 19, 2026 at 10:41am
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The Trump administration's rejection of enlightened global leadership in favor of raw power politics echoes the downfall of ancient Athens' empire.Athens TodayMembers of the Trump administration have been invoking the ancient Greek historian Thucydides to justify their 'might makes right' approach to foreign policy, but experts argue they are misinterpreting the deeper lessons about the perils of abusing power without legitimacy, as Athens did before its downfall.
Why it matters
The Trump administration's embrace of unilateral coercion and bullying of allies and rivals alike threatens to undermine the post-WWII international order that has underpinned decades of American global leadership and prosperity. Abandoning the norms of responsible stewardship of power risks isolating the US and erasing the distinction between American conduct and that of authoritarian rivals.
The details
The administration has drawn parallels between its actions, like the military intervention in Venezuela and unilateral tariffs, and the 'iron laws' of power politics described by Thucydides in his 'History of the Peloponnesian War.' But experts argue the administration is missing Thucydides' central warning about how Athens' shift from 'benevolent hegemony to malevolent empire' ultimately led to its ruin. The administration's 'relentless bullying' of allies and rivals alike, from Ukraine to Denmark, ignores how Athens' violation of Hellenic norms and transformation of consensual leadership into coercive empire provoked the very war it sought to avoid.
- In January, the president cited the 'iron laws' of power in justifying the Venezuela operation.
- On April 7, Trump warned Iran that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' if it does not capitulate to US might.
The players
Donald Trump
The President of the United States who has embraced a 'might makes right' foreign policy approach.
Stephen Miller
A senior policy adviser in the Trump administration who has mocked concerns about international norms and the UN Charter.
Thucydides
The ancient Greek historian whose 'History of the Peloponnesian War' is often cited by foreign policy 'realists' to justify great power rivalry and domination of the weak.
Stewart Patrick
The director of the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who authored this op-ed critiquing the Trump administration's misinterpretation of Thucydides.
What they’re saying
“We live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.”
— Stephen Miller, Senior Policy Adviser, Trump Administration
“A whole civilization will die tonight.”
— Donald Trump
The takeaway
The Trump administration's embrace of unilateral coercion and the 'might makes right' approach risks isolating the US, erasing the distinction between American conduct and that of authoritarian rivals, and ultimately undermining the post-WWII international order that has underpinned decades of American global leadership and prosperity.
