Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Gilbert Doctorow: Attack on Iran Hardens Russia's Stance on Ukraine
Mar 6, 2026
Gilbert Doctorow, historian and analyst of Russian and European politics, offers a sharp take on how the strike on Iran reshaped Moscow's threat perception. He outlines elite shock, doubts about deterrence, rising media and political tensions, and the narrowing options between diplomacy and escalation. The conversation highlights shifting trust among allies and the strategic risks for regional stability.
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Shock to Russian Elite Psychology
- The US strikes on Iran shifted Russian elite psychology from complacency to fear about decapitation-style attacks.
- Gilbert Doctorow says televised outrage and calls to shoot down US planes show Russians now view deterrence as deeply weakened.
Palme Assassination Turned Conformism Into Fury
- Doctorow recounts working in Europe where an assassination (Olof Palme) flipped public consensus overnight.
- He uses this to illustrate how a single dramatic strike can erase conformist complacency.
Will Matters More Than Hardware
- Deterrence depends more on will to use force and signaling than on hardware alone.
- Doctorow highlights commentators asking why Russia doesn't shoot down US spy planes near its coasts as proof of perceived loss of will.
