Steve, we never translated Russian, too much is lost. Translation is a dangerous enterprise that often removes the nuance of a language and the intent of an idiom. The “we will bury you” remark by Khrushchev is a prime example of translation gone wrong.

I think Putin is seriously worried. They knew there were no WMDs in Iraq, but they weren’t likely to want to discuss that because it would reveal their sources and methods. I think they have sources in Iran, which are much better than ours. These countries bordered on the Soviet Union. The Soviets would know more about them than we would, just as we know more about Mexico and Canada than the Soviets – they are neighbors.

As the Russians are well aware as a result of Chernobyl, radiation doesn’t respect borders. They also have Islamic extremists of their own to deal with and don’t want them energized. These are “local” issues for Russia, not something going on a world away.

I know no Russian, but your revised translation seems much more plausible as a statement out of the mouth of a national leader at an international security summit than the BBC’s rendering of the quote. I have a feeling America’s intelligence agencies lost a great deal when you retired from performing translations for them.