"Thucydides Trap" is the term used when an empire is falling (in our case, the USA) and a new empire is rising (in our case, China) and it notes that what happens in this natural rise of some and fall of others, is that there must be some great war...but this is not necessarily true at all in our time. China is, obviously, going to be the only Super-power or World Empire, for at least the next 300 years on earth, but the rise of China is very different to the rise of other empires. No one has ever seen an 'empire' like modern china....ever...and this is because China is quite different to other nations, traditionally, historically, and naturally. What is the difference? It is simply that China trades, China does not make war. With China at the helm of the world economy...and it is..., the most benefits will, of course, flow to China, as is natural, but because of China's inherent non-interventionist dogma, the dogma and tradition of having walls and having gates, the rest of us will not ever be invaded or conscripted into that empire...but rather just have to trade with it as fellow human folk. We will certainly have to see to our own defences, rather than rely on alliances etc...but the best defence is always to trade with someone and be a friend rather than to bomb them or trick them into being our slave. The rise of China, for the first time on earth, can, and I think will, create a world without much in the way of major conflicts at all...because trade is best when there are few conflicts, because people prefer to send their sons and daughters to the shops to buy some milk and a kit kat bar, rather than to send them to war.