With this quote, Winston Churchill summed up how the next World War would be fought. It’s notable how often he uses the phrase “the minds of men” when describing the future. The Churchill Center had sent me an email describing the number of times this phrase reappears–I believe the number was in the 100’s. Now, I am no raving Churchill fan, as he had some notable moral lapses, namely in his lack of support of Poland in the second half of World War II (as in he completely forget that Poland existed, see Norman Davies excellent books; Rising ‘44 is particularly recommended) and his decision to have Dresden bombed. However, despite his moral shortcomings, he was an individual with insights and experiences that are both singular. So it is notable how convinced he was of the centrality of “the minds of men” in the next conflict.
It’s clear that the present US administration hasn’t a clue as to the significance of this, although Al-Qaeda has listened (or perhaps reached the same conclusions on their own, I am not sure, but it really doesn’t matter.)
