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Glenn Diesen

Norwegian political scientist (born 1979) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Glenn Diesen
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Glenn Eric Andre Diesen (born 1979) is a Norwegian academic, writer and politician who is professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway.[1]. He has been a regular commentator on the Russian state-controlled international television network RT for several years, is known for his promotion of Russian propaganda.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] He is active in the pro-Russian party Fred og Rettferdighet.[1][9][6][12]

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Education

Diesen obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Wollongong, Australia, in 2001 and a Master of Business degree from the University of Sydney in 2004. He completed two years of Russian language and literature studies at Saint Petersburg State University in 2006. Diesen was awarded a master's degree in international relations from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, in 2009 and a PhD in politics and international relations jointly from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Macquarie University in 2014, with a dissertation under the supervision of Wolfgang Wagner and Steve Wood[13][14] entitled Inter-democratic Security Institutions and the Security Dilemma: EU and NATO relations with Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.[1] His dissertation addressed the ideational and institutional influence on the rationality of EU and NATO decision-makers from a neoclassical realist perspective.[15]

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Career

Diesen worked as a lecturer and scholarly teaching fellow in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University from 2011 to 2017,[15] as an adjunct research fellow in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at Western Sydney University from 2016 to 2019[16] and as a visiting scholar and subsequently a professor in the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia from 2018 to 2020.[17][1] In 2020 he became an associate professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, where he was promoted to professor in 2021.[18] He specializes in Russian foreign policy, political economy, conservatism and Eurasian integration.[19] He is affiliated with the Valdai Discussion Club[20] and since 2018 has been an editor of the Russia in Global Affairs journal.[21][22]

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Activism and views

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Commentary and support for Russia

Diesen has been a regular commentator on Russia Today (RT) and has faced extensive and sustained criticism for promoting Russian propaganda.[6][7][8][9][10][11] He also writes for the conspiracy theorist website Steigan.no.[23]

In 2020, Diesen wrote an op-ed in Aftenposten with convicted felon and former KGB agent Arne Treholt, that stated that Russia has "legitimate interests and security needs" and said that Russia was unfairly demonized as a security threat.[24] The paper's former foreign affairs editor Kjell Dragnes wrote that Diesen and Treholt promoted Russian propaganda.[11]

Diesen has said he opposes Russia's military action against Ukraine.[25]

Diesen's work has been criticized for lacking scholarly rigor and promoting an ideological narrative aligned with Russian state propaganda. Scholars have argued that his publications rely on selective use of sources, omit crucial context, and fall short of academic standards, replacing analysis with ideological framing.[26][27] The Swedish journalist Patrik Oksanen considers Diesen to be "part of the Russian propaganda machinery."[10] Aage Borchgrevink of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee said that Diesen has "an important role in RT as the Western expert, which gives legitimacy to what clearly appears to be the Kremlin's version [...] his writings are unreliable, the factual basis is doubtful, and characterized by the content and form of Russian propaganda, as expressed in RT and Sputnik."[9]

Palm Beach Atlantic University historian Roger Chapman's H-Net review of Diesen’s 2020 book The Decay of Western Civilization and Resurgence of Russia critiques the book as an ideologically charged defense of Putin’s Russia that romanticizes authoritarianism and positions Russia as a cultural savior amidst Western decline, and Chapman writes that “some of his ideas seem to fit in with the alt-right,” noting Diesen’s admiration for figures like Steve Bannon and his approval of authoritarianism as a “moral virtue.” He notes: "Besides the tilt of the book, namely, Diesen’s apparent concord with authoritarianism and his refusal to use a double-edged sword when offering analysis of all positions, what is striking is its throwback to yesteryear (...) There is nothing new under the sun, except this latest incarnation of Russian messianic thinking comes about 185 years afterward and this time it is being offered by a foreigner, though an obvious Russophile, who perhaps drank not Kool-Aid but kvass. But when he refers to Russia's incursions into neighboring countries as “nation-building initiatives,” one can only think of Kool-Aid."[28]

Russian studies scholar Susanna Rabow-Edling [no]'s Nordisk Østforum [no] review of Russian Conservatism (2021) criticizes Diesen for blurring the line between scholarly analysis and ideological advocacy, noting that his use of ideologically loaded concepts undermines the book’s academic credibility. As she writes, “Diesen’s book is difficult to read, since it is unclear whether it constitutes a societal analysis or a partisan contribution to the debate on Russia’s future,” adding that he blends “subjective judgments and objective analysis” while presenting conservative assumptions as universal truths.[29]

In a review in the periodical Vagant of Diesen’s 2022 book Russophobia, Russian studies scholar Kåre Johan Mjør [no] argued that the work itself functions as propaganda. Mjør contended that the book employs sweeping generalizations, lacks engagement with relevant academic literature, and selectively cites sources to promote a pro-Kremlin narrative, concluding that the book fails to meet basic standards of scholarly rigor.[26] History professor Sven G. Holtsmark argued that Diesen's claims misrepresent sources, omit key context, and construct a narrative unsupported by credible evidence, framing Ukraine and the West as provocateurs and saboteurs of peace. He concludes that Diesen's claims overwhelmingly mirror Kremlin propaganda and distort reality under the guise of scholarly authority, offering ideology in place of analysis and systematically disregarding basic standards of academic integrity.[27]

Peace Research Institute Oslo's Pavel K. Baev, in his review of The Ukraine War and the Eurasian World Order (2024), describes Diesen’s book as an uncritical academic defense of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, stating it attempts to justify Russian aggression using “blend of shallow history, vulgar geopolitics and undiluted propaganda.” Baev criticizes Diesen for presenting the war as a positive event, “the graveyard of liberal hegemony”, and for relying on “lengthy quotes from Putin and Xi Jinping” in place of substantive analysis or theoretical grounding.[30]

In March 2025, a group of 20 Norwegian academics published an open letter accusing the Norwegian Helsinki Committee of attempting to curtail Diesen’s academic freedom.[31] The Committee rejected the allegations as baseless, stating that they had not advocated for any form of censorship or dismissal, but had exercised their own freedom of expression in criticizing Diesen's role in disseminating Russian propaganda.[32] 50 academics and public figures signed a counter-statement in support of the Committee, defending its right to publicly criticize Diesen’s views and methods. They argued that academic freedom must be grounded in truth-seeking and scholarly integrity, and asserted that Diesen "frequently operates well outside of that scope."[33] 37 University of South-Eastern Norway staff also published an open letter condemning Diesen's views.[34]

In May 2025, Diesen faced renewed criticism from commentators and researchers who accused him of actively promoting Russian state narratives under the guise of academic analysis. Former minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen criticized Diesen’s rhetorical style and misrepresentation of academic sources.[35] Aage Borchgrevink argued that Diesen’s public statements, such as casting doubt on Russian responsibility for the Bucha massacre, violate basic norms of academic integrity, and called for investigation by his university’s research ethics board.[36]

Political activism

Diesen has previously[when?] supported the right-wing Christian conservative microparty, Conservative (not related to the Conservative Party), focusing on criticism of Western countries.[37]

In 2025 Diesen became the top candidate of the pro-Russian party Fred og Rettferdighet in Akershus.[38] In May 2025, Diesen appeared in an advertisement campaign on behalf of the party, which was widely criticized for echoing Russian propaganda and promoting pro-Kremlin talking points. The campaign, which featured slogans opposing aid to Ukraine and Diesen's name and picture, was condemned by politicians across the political spectrum, with critics accusing both the party and Diesen of spreading disinformation aligned with Russian state interests.[39] The Governing Mayor of Oslo, Eirik Lae Solberg, called the campaign "ugly" and "an echo of Russian propaganda."[40] Questions were also raised about the campaign's financing, which reportedly had a list price of 1.4 million NOK. As of late May, the party had only reported a single donation of 50,000 NOK, prompting the Political Parties Act Committee to launch an investigation into the legality and transparency of its funding.[41] Former Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide said that Diesen and Marielle Leraand promote "complete nonsense (...) they've swallowed the Russian propaganda whole."[42] It was revealed that the pro-Russian advertisement campaign was paid for by Atle Berge, a Russia-based billionaire who maintains a pro-Kremlin stance.[39][42] Diesen and his party have received support from the Neo-Nazi organization Vigrid.[43]

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Publications

As author

  • EU and NATO Relations with Russia: After the Collapse of the Soviet Union. Routledge. 2017. ISBN 9781138063273.
  • Russia's Geoeconomic Strategy for a Greater Eurasia. Routledge. 2017. ISBN 9780415791687.
  • The Decay of Western Civilisation and Resurgence of Russia: Between Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. Routledge. 2020. ISBN 9780367587383.
  • Europe as the Western Peninsula of Greater Eurasia: Geoeconomic Regions in a Multipolar World. Rowman & Littlefield. 2021. ISBN 9781538161760.
  • Great Power Politics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Geoeconomics of Technological Sovereignty. Bloomsbury. 2021. ISBN 9780755607013.
  • Russian Conservatism: Managing Change Under Permanent Revolution. Rowman & Littlefield. 2021. ISBN 9781538149980.
  • Russophobia: Propaganda in International Politics. Springer. 2022. ISBN 9789811914676.
  • The Think Tank Racket: Managing the Information War with Russia. Clarity Press. 2023. ISBN 9781949762808.
  • The Ukraine War and the Eurasian World Order. Clarity Press. 2024. ISBN 9781949762952.

As editor

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See also

References

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