Restoring Thucydides

Restoring Thucydides examines how modern policymakers and scholars have extracted simplified lessons from Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian War. Andrew Novo and Jay Parker argue that famous passages must be read within their political, military, and cultural contexts.

The book challenges deterministic interpretations of the so-called Thucydides Trap and emphasizes leadership, agency, alliances, and the multiple forms of power.

It also revisits episodes including the Melian Dialogue, the Sicilian expedition, and civil conflict at Corcyra.

Its central purpose is to recover more nuanced and historically grounded lessons for understanding contemporary strategy and international politics.