International security
Over the past few years, top-ranking Russians have repeatedly delivered
versions of the admonition above to American interlocutors. We’ve been told
that it comes originally from Vladimir Putin. That makes sense. Putin is a
former intelligence officer. And what the warning expresses, with typically
Putin-esque bluntness and political incorrectness, is a maxim shared by U.S. intelligence
officers: Beware of seeing false mirror images. Do not assume your adversary
will think and act the same way you would in similar circumstances. You will
likely misread him if you do.
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