The Greek historian Thucydides wrote his famous History Of The Peloponnesian War to explain the causes of the fierce conflict between his native Athens and its rival Sparta that engulfed the Hellenic world (431-404BC). This remains one classical text that has enormously influenced theorists of international relations ever since.
His Melian Dialogue, in particular, has special resonance in our times as the discourse between the envoys of Athens and the people of the tiny island of Melos, who wanted to remain neutral in the war, continues to resonate in the current political tensions in Asia.
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