Hegemonitis: Why The West Has Become So Dumb – Professor Glenn Diesen
By Joel Wong
Glenn Diesen is a professor at the University of Southeast Norway and an expert on Russian foreign policy, European security, and geopolitical theory. Diesen’s importance lies in his critical analyses of the geopolitical strategies employed by Western powers, particularly in relation to Russia and the broader Eurasian region. He has contributed significantly to the discourse on the changing dynamics of international politics, the concept of a multipolar world, and the challenges of maintaining a stable and secure global order. His work often examines how historical grievances, security dilemmas, and the expansion of NATO impact relations between Russia and the West.
Key points of this talk:
1. Critique of Western Diplomacy: The discussion highlights the childish behavior of Western diplomats, particularly their habit of walking out when Russian representatives speak, and criticizes the West’s tendency to link universal ideals like peace to its hegemony, thereby weaponizing these ideals to justify interference in other countries under the guise of democracy promotion and humanitarian interventions.
2. Orwellian Foreign Policy: The West’s foreign policy is described as Orwellian, with terms like “democracy promotion” and “humanitarian interventions” used to mask actions such as toppling governments and supporting wars, creating a narrative where questioning these actions is seen as opposing universally accepted values like democracy and humanitarianism.
3. Proxy War Dynamics: The conflict in Ukraine is framed as a proxy war with shifting boundaries and unclear rules, where NATO and Russia operate under a tacit agreement to limit direct engagement, while using Ukraine as a battleground to weaken each other without escalating to a full-scale war.
4. Propaganda and Ideology: Propaganda plays a significant role in creating war enthusiasm and simplifying complex conflicts into a struggle between good and evil. This results in the suppression of facts that don’t fit the narrative, such as the relatively low civilian casualties in Ukraine compared to other conflicts, which cannot be acknowledged without appearing to support the opposing side.
5. Misguided Idealism: The conversation criticizes the Western ideal of spreading democracy and perpetual peace, arguing that such ideals often lead to more conflict. Historical examples, like the French Revolution and the Cold War, show that these ideals can be co-opted by powerful entities to justify their actions, leading to new forms of domination and conflict instead of genuine peace and democracy.
There is a significant disconnect between the West’s proclaimed objectives and the actual outcomes of its policies, leading to disillusionment and criticism from within and outside the Western sphere.