Daniel Davis Deep Dive Putin's Eyes on NATO /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Glenn Diesen
Oct 7, 2025
Glenn Diesen, a political science professor and Russia scholar, dives deep into the geopolitical tensions surrounding NATO and Russia. He discusses how Western discourse neglects rivals' security concerns, exacerbating diplomatic failures. Diesen highlights Putin's 2007 Munich speech as a warning against unipolarity and connects NATO's expansion to increased conflicts. He cautions that regime change in Russia may lead to more hardline leadership and warns that escalating Western support risks direct conflict, suggesting a delicate balance in Russia's military strategy.
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Russia's Preplanned Pivot East
- Glenn Diesen predicted Russia's pivot to Greater Eurasia and focus on technological and financial sovereignty years before 2022.
- He argued this strategy required deeper ties with China and an independent transport and financial corridor.
Put Empathy Back Into Diplomacy
- Reintroduce empathy into diplomacy by assessing opponents' security concerns without endorsing them.
- Use that understanding to craft negotiations that reduce the risk of military escalation.
Empathy Is A Security Tool
- Diesen says modern European discourse stopped empathizing with adversaries and thus lost a tool for managing great-power security competition.
- He warns that refusing to discuss opponents' security concerns drives policies toward military solutions.
