ritain's relationship with Russian is surprisingly under-explored. When the two formed a
pragmatic alliance and fought together at Navarino in 1827 it was overwhelmingly the work of
the British prime minister George Canning.It was not until the 1917 revolution that another
statesman had a defining impact on relations between Britain and Russia: Winston Churchill
opposed Bolshevism yet he never stopped advocating diplomatic and military engagement with
Russia.Bringing us into the twenty-first century Owen chronicles how both countries have
responded to their geopolitical decline. Drawing on both imperial and Soviet history he
explains the unique nature of Putin's autocracy and addresses Britain's return to 'blue water'
diplomacy. With Owen's characteristic insight and expertise Riddle Mystery and Enigma
depicts a relationship governed by principle as often as by suspicion expediency and outright
neccessity.
