Fletcher U.S.-Russia Relations Book Prize Awarded to Maximilian Hess for “Economic War”
By Akshat Dhankher, MALD 2025 Candidate at The Fletcher School
The Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School at Tufts University is pleased to announce that Maximillian Hess, author of “Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict between Russia and the West” (2023), has been named the recipient of Fletcher’s fifth annual U.S.-Russia relations book prize. The award recognizes an outstanding book on historical or contemporary foreign policy discourse pertaining to the past or present of U.S.-Russia relations.
In “Economic War,” Hess provides a thorough account of the economic conflict between Russia and the West, beginning with the events around Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 up to the present-day environment shaped by the 2022 invasion. Hess’ analysis connects the threads of geopolitical entanglement and economic statecraft amid this decade-long conflict, shedding light on the Russian response to initial Western sanctions vis-à-vis the usage of energy interdependencies in Europe, political ties in the Middle East, resource opportunities and investments in Africa and Latin America, and growing alignment with Beijing. This context situates a discussion of the economic war over the last three years, shedding light on the discussions in Western governments around their own dependencies in light of Russian countermeasures to the Western sanctions regime, the global ripples of a weaponized energy market, and the domestic economic impacts faced around the world.
“Hess provides a unique and granular account of the economic war between Russia and the West, exploring the role of financial markets as an arena of conflict,” says Chris Miller, Professor of International History and Co-Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program. “We look forward to hosting him at The Fletcher School for this conference.”
“It is a great honor, and I am truly humbled to receive this award from The Fletcher School,” says Hess. “The book seeks to argue that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is more a fight over the future of how the international political economy is structured than security considerations. Putin is more motivated by his opposition to the U.S.-led international economic order than he is by his propagandistic fears of NATO. While Ukrainians tragically bear Putin’s belligerence, his war is one that targets core Western, and particularly U.S., interests.”
Please join us in congratulating Hess on the book prize. Hess will speak on the book and will be honored with the award on September 26, 2024 as part of an academic conference at Fletcher titled “Global Repercussions of Russia-West Economic Warfare.” The event will be held on campus in Medford, Massachusetts on September 26-27, 2024. The conference will explore Russian and Western efforts to impose economic sanctions, export controls, and import restrictions before and during the Russia-Ukraine war. Tune into the book talk by registering for the conference via the Google Form here.