In his award-winning monograph, Prof. Dr. Simon Koschut examines the break-up of supranational security communities using as an example the North Atlantic military alliance NATO, which has existed since 1949. The German Confederation (1815–1866), an unstable defense alliance between the sovereign princes and free cities of Germany after the Napoleonic wars of conquest, serves as a historical comparison. Koschut reveals fundamental mechanisms of decay, identifies conditions associated with them, and explains crises as well as break-ups of defense communities. He sees the collapse of common norms as the main reason for discord between allies. According to Koschut, individuals with authority within the allied states and governments or within social movements determine the change of norms and thus play a key role in the stability of security organizations.

The Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) will present the award during its annual conference on September 21, 2018, in Frankfurt am Main. The award includes 5000 euros and is funded by the German federal government and the State of Hessen. It is awarded every two years for the best postdoctoral monograph on peace research. The award is named after the long-standing head of the PRIF, Prof. Dr. Ernst-Otto Czempiel (1927–2017).

Simon Koschut studied political science in Berlin, Potsdam, Chapel Hill (North Carolina, USA), and Bonn and earned his doctorate and habilitation at the University of Potsdam. Prior to his visiting professorship at Freie Universität Berlin, he has held positions at Harvard University (Fritz Thyssen Fellowship), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, and San Francisco State University.