Alessandro Iandolo

The W. Bruce Lincoln Book Prize, sponsored by Mary Lincoln, is awarded annually for an author’s first published monograph or scholarly synthesis that is of exceptional merit and lasting significance for the understanding of Russia’s past. The prize was established in 2004 in memory of W. Bruce Lincoln, a Russian historian and a widely- read author.

Winner: Alessandro Iandolo
Title: Arrested Development: The Soviet Union in Ghana, Guinea, and Mali, 1955-1968 (Cornell University Press)

An innovative example of how the history of the Cold War is being revised and nuanced, Arrested Development investigates Khrushchev-era development programs in Western Africa during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Alessandro Iandolo reveals Soviet aid to have been designed to court allies and trading partners rather than foment revolution and demonstrates assistance programs to have been administered in ways that were more pragmatic than governed by ideological template. Based on archival research in Russia, Ghana, Mali, and an array of other countries, Arrested Development convincingly argues that Soviet internationalism during the Cold War varied more widely over time than previously believed.

Honorable Mention: Franziska Exeler