On Thursday, March 6, 2025, Hendrik Simon (Frankfurt Branch of the Research Center for Social Cohesion) was awarded the Helmuth James von Moltke Prize for his book “A Century of Anarchy? War, Normativity, and the Birth of Modern International Order” was awarded the Helmuth James von Moltke Prize of the German Society for Defense Law and International Humanitarian Law (DGWHV). The prize is endowed with 2,000 euros and was presented during the DGWHV’s annual conference “Law at the Turning Point” in Hamburg.
Since September 1999, the DGWHV has been awarding the Helmuth James von Moltke Prize for outstanding legal treatises in the field of security policy in memory of the lawyer and resistance fighter against National Socialism and founder of the Kreisau resistance group Helmuth James Graf von Moltke.
The laudatory speech was held by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Graf von Kielmansegg, who then presented the award to Simon. He particularly emphasized the high quality of Simon’s interdisciplinary work. In his acceptance speech, Hendrik Simon recalled Moltke’s execution by the Nazi regime 80 years ago, which reminded him of the importance of defending the law against political arbitrariness. According to Simon, the plea by Kant, whom Molkte had read (albeit critically), that law must never be adapted to politics, but that politics must always be adapted to law, fits in with this. Simon then presented the excellent book for discussion.
After the Delbrück Prize, which he was awarded in November 2024, this is already the second award for the book.
Further information on the book, which has recently been made available in open access: Here…
Further information on the Helmuth James von Moltke Prize: Here…