American and Russian Perceptions of Freedom and Security

Winston Churchill’s characterization of Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” applied reasonably well to the USSR during Stalin’s quarter of a century in power. But today, reliable published information and travel to the Soviet Union are accessible to almost anyone willing to confront the “mystery.” No one can ever completely “know” a nation, but one need not feel that the task of adequately understanding the principal features of a people is beyond reasonable expectation.