David Owen Interviewed by Matthew Stadlen

Former foreign secretary Lord David Owen describes two centuries of relations between Britain and Russia governed by principle as often as by suspicion, expediency, and outright necessity.

Owen says Britain’s relationship with Russia is surprisingly under-explored. He looks at the pragmatic alliance that saw Britain and Russia fight together at Navarino in 1827, only to see them fighting on opposite sides in the Crimean War. And he examines the impact of Winston Churchill, who never stopped advocating diplomatic and military engagement despite his opposition to Bolshevism. Owen takes the story right up to the modern day, explores how both countries have responded to their geopolitical decline and explains the nature of Putin’s autocracy.

Owen was foreign secretary from 1977 to 1979 and went on to co-found and lead the Social Democratic Party. His books include The Hidden Perspective and Cabinet’s Finest Hour. He sits in the House of Lords as an Independent Social Democrat.