Profiles in Strategy Episode 14: Peloponnesian War
Feb 2, 2023
In this engaging discussion, John Maurer, an expert on Thucydides, Marc Genest, a political scientist, and Josh Hammond, a Navy commander, delve into the Peloponnesian War's strategic lessons. They debate Athens' rationality in going to war, explore the failed opportunities for peace, and examine the implications of an aggressive versus cautious strategy. With modern parallels to Ukraine, they analyze the harsh responses to revolts and the moral dilemmas of conflict, emphasizing the enduring relevance of Thucydides in contemporary strategy.
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Episode notes
Great-Power War Often Produces Pyrrhic Gains
- Thucydides shows great-power wars create such destruction that winners may not gain a better peace.
- The Peloponnesian War warns that war can hollow out victors and invite new threats.
Hegemonic Tension Plus Choices Drive War
- Thucydides argues rising power and fear make war likely, framing early hegemonic theory.
- But the book also emphasizes specific leader choices that can make war avoidable.
Appeasement Fears Can Outweigh Short-Term Peace
- Pericles framed refusal to rescind the Megarian Decree as necessary to avoid appeasement.
- That stance prioritized credibility over a potentially shorter, safer peace.
