Graham Allison

Graham Allison is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He is a leading expert on nuclear strategy, deterrence theory, and U.S.-China relations. Allison gained prominence for his work on the Cuban Missile Crisis and later for developing the "Thucydides Trap" framework—the theory that structural pressures in great power transitions make conflict likely, which he applied to U.S.-China dynamics in his 2017 book *Destined for War*.

His research spans Cold War history, nuclear proliferation, and contemporary geopolitical risk. Allison has advised U.S. government officials and policymakers on national security strategy. He is known for bridging academic scholarship and policy practice, making complex strategic concepts accessible to both scholarly and practitioner audiences.

Allison's work has significantly influenced debates on whether rising powers and established powers can avoid conflict, and his frameworks are widely cited in international relations and strategic studies.

Graham Allison is the Douglas Dillon Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He is a leading theorist of nuclear strategy, deterrence, and great power competition, best known for the "Thucydides Trap" framework explaining structural conflict between rising and established powers. His work on U.S.-China relations and nuclear risk has shaped policy discourse for decades.