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Balazs Martonffy and Oscar Jonsson receive John McCain Dissertation Award
The John McCain Dissertation Award was awarded for the second time at the Munich Security Conference 2020. Honoring the significant contributions of John McCain to strengthening transatlantic ties, the award was established to recognize exceptional academic achievements in the field of political science, with an emphasis on the transatlantic relationship.
The award honors the legacy of Senator John McCain, who was a close partner and friend of the MSC family for more than four decades. After first attending the conference as a young Navy officer, Senator McCain eventually went on to lead the United States Congressional Delegation to the MSC for years. In doing so, McCain played a crucial role in establishing the conference as an essential forum for the transatlantic community. "He was one of our most sharp-minded critics but at the same time one of the most supportive transatlantic enthusiasts, making this conference’s success in the last decades possible," MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger said during the award ceremony.
The MSC is grateful and pleased to honor the lifetime achievements of Senator McCain, who has contributed significantly to strengthening transatlantic relations and the global security dialogue. In a time when many question what is left of the essence of the Western project, McCain's advocacy for a strong value orientation of the transatlantic partnership and the West has not lost any of its topicality, highlighted Wolfgang Ischinger.
The 2020 John McCain Dissertation Award was awarded to two laureates. The first award recipient is Balazs Martonffy, fellow at the International Center for Security and Leadership and lecturer and assistant professor at the National University of Public Service in Budapest. His doctoral thesis "Analysis Paralysis: Threat Perception and Incohesion in NATO, 1960-1980" analyzes why alliances find it more difficult to cooperate in peacetime. The second award recipient is Oscar Jonsson, director of the Stockholm Free World Forum. His doctoral thesis analytically dissects the Russian understanding of war.
The McCain Award Ceremony took place on Friday evening of the first conference day in a traditional Munich institution, the Käfer Schenke. Among the distinguished guests were Cindy McCain, US Senators Lindsey O. Graham and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Eugénia da Conceição-Heldt, dean of the TUM School of Governance.
About the John McCain Dissertation Award
The John McCain Dissertation Award is awarded annually by the Munich Security Conference and its partners, the Hochschule für Politik München/TUM School of Governance, the Geschwister Scholl-Institute for Political Science at LMU Munich, the University of the Federal Armed Forces, as well as the McCain Institute. It recognizes up to two doctoral theses for outstanding scientific contributions in the field of political science, with a special focus on transatlantic relations. Besides offering numerous publication options, the award consists of participation in the Munich Security Conference and related events and activities as well as a prize sum of up to 20,000 euros.
