Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006
From: Richard Rawles (r.rawles@ucl.ac.uk)
Subject: Re: 2006-#71-Johnson's Russia List/ Churchill quote
Jill Wing (JRL #71 Item 15) partially cites Winston Churchill's famous "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma" comment on Russia of 1st October 1939. However, he was not speaking of Russia in general (all those "unfathomable resources"), but of difficulties in forecasting its actions on the field of foreign policy. He goes on: "but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest". A warning one would have thought which is not without relevance to Putin's Russia.
Best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Richard E. Rawles
Head, UCL Russian Psychology Research Unit
Visiting Professor, University of St. Petersburg.