Escaping the Trap: How Women Leaders Can Rewrite the Future of Global Power
Can the world avoid another catastrophic conflict between great powers?
If history is any indication, the odds aren’t in our favor.
In Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?, political scientist Graham Allison warns of a historical pattern: when a rising power threatens to overtake an established one, war often follows. He draws from the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who observed that it was “the rise of Athens and the fear this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.”
Sixteen such power transitions in the last 500 years. Twelve ended in war.
The stage is now set for another act, with China rising and the United States holding on. The risk? Misunderstanding. Escalation. Pride. The same age-old dance.
But what if it didn’t have to be this way?
A Different Kind of Power
History has been shaped—again and again—by men in suits and uniforms, negotiating from podiums and behind closed doors. But there’s another current running beneath these traditional corridors of power: one that doesn’t shout, but listens. One that doesn’t dominate, but builds coalitions. One that asks different questions.
Women’s leadership isn’t just a moral imperative—it may be a strategic one.
When women are in the room—truly present and empowered—the conversation shifts. Studies show that women are more likely to invest in long-term peace, prioritize human well-being over posturing, and create space for collaboration, even across deep divides.
Real Women, Real Impact
Jacinda Ardern
Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Ardern showed the world how empathy and clarity can coexist in a leader. Her response to the Christchurch terrorist attack was swift, unifying, and deeply human. Imagine such leadership on the global stage when tensions flare.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf & Leymah Gbowee
In Liberia, these two women helped end a brutal civil war. Not with weapons—but with resilience, grassroots mobilization, and relentless commitment to peace. They proved that women don’t just influence peace—they make it.
Angela Merkel
A scientist turned stateswoman, Merkel's calm, data-driven leadership steered Germany through European crises. She wasn’t flashy, but she was effective—bringing stability when others were losing ground.
Michelle Bachelet
As President of Chile and later UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bachelet championed inclusion, equity, and dignity—values that strengthen, not weaken, the foundations of power.
Why It Matters Now
We are living in a world bracing for confrontation. The headlines are loud. Taiwan. Trade wars. Cybersecurity. Artificial Intelligence. Militarized oceans. It’s easy to fall into fear or fatalism. But Thucydides’s Trap is not destiny—it’s a warning.
If we continue to rely solely on traditional, militarized, masculine models of power, we may very well repeat the pattern. But if we begin to value different voices, if we seat women at the global table—not as tokens, but as essential strategists—we stand a chance of breaking the cycle.
The Path Forward: Women's Leadership as a Peace Strategy
To escape the trap, we must:
Elevate women into leadership roles in foreign policy, defense, and global governance.
Support grassroots women’s peace initiatives, often overlooked yet profoundly effective.
Integrate gender perspectives into security dialogues and diplomatic negotiations.
Redefine strength, not as domination but as the ability to listen, adapt, and connect.
This isn’t idealism. It’s realism with a wider lens.
A New Paradigm
Thucydides gave us a map of how the world has too often worked. But women are drawing new maps—ones that prioritize people over pride, sustainability over supremacy, and healing over hostility.
The question isn’t just whether America and China can escape Thucydides’s Trap.
It’s whether we will finally listen to the women who can lead us out.
S.A. Sterling