2019

Honorable Mention: Benn Steil
Title: The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War (Oxford University Press)

The Marshall Plan was an attempt to rebuild Europe and facilitate a new interstate community after the destruction of World War II. At the same time, this massive aid effort also contributed to the distrust and opposition that turned into a fifty-year Cold War. How could something so seemingly constructive from the perspective of one side, even if permeated with geopolitical interests, contribute to a confrontation that would threaten humanity? Benn Steil reveals not only the role of geopolitical interests (especially but not only of Stalin and American elites), but also the centrality of miscommunication and complexity of diplomatic networks between and within elites of leading countries. Steil shows how a program designed ostensibly for aid turned into a tool that hastened the creation of opposing armed camps in Europe and beyond.

Winner: Eleonory Gilburd