The Lionel Gelber Prize 25th Anniversary: Jonathan Spence

The Lionel Gelber Prize was founded in 1989 in memory of Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber (1907-1989). The largest juried award of its kind, it seeks to deepen public debate on significant global issues by recognizing the world’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs. A prize of $15,000 is awarded to the winner. The award is presented annually by the Lionel Gelber Foundation, in partnership with Foreign Policy Magazine and the Munk School of Global Affairs.

2015 marks the 25th anniversary of this prestigious prize. In recognition of this, John Stackhouse, Journalist and Senior Fellow at Munk School of Global Affairs, interviewed five past winners to discuss how foreign affairs has evolved in that time.

1. Professor Jonathan D. Spence, Author of “The Search for Modern China” (W.W. Norton & Co.), 1st winner of the Lionel Gelber Prize.
   • The Lionel Gelber Prize 25th Annivers...  

2. Adam Hochschild, Author of “King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Free, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa” (Houghton Mifflin Company) & “Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves” (Houghton Mifflin), 10th & 16th winner of the Lionel Gelber Prize.
   • The Lionel Gelber Prize 25th Annivers...  

3. Professor Walter Russell Mead, Author of “Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How it Changed the World” (Alfred A. Knopf), 13th winner of the Lionel Gelber Prize.
   • The Lionel Gelber Prize 25th Annivers...  

4. Professor Steve Coll, Author of “Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001” (Penguin Press), 15th winner of the Lionel Gelber Prize.
   • The Lionel Gelber Prize 25th Annivers...  

5. Professor Sir Paul Collier, Author of the “Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can be done About It” (Oxford University), 18th winner of the Lionel Gelber Prize.
   • The Lionel Gelber Prize 25th Annivers...  

6. The Lionel Gelber Prize 25th Anniversary: Looking Back-Moving Forward
   • How The World Has Changed Since 1989 ...