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The Common Enemy

The Adaptation of Political Theory:. The Common Enemy. The Traditional Form vs. The Post-Cold War Form. Used in both inter-state and intra-state conflict Used for opportunism, not necessity Ideology as enemy

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The Common Enemy

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  1. The Adaptation of Political Theory: The Common Enemy

  2. The Traditional Form vs. The Post-Cold War Form • Used in both inter-state and intra-state conflict • Used for opportunism, not necessity • Ideology as enemy • Best known modern use: President Bush’s failed attempt at uniting his country against the “Axis of Evil” • Deemed useless after the end of the Cold War • Definition: When a group of people is united by a common hatred of a perceived or real external threat. • Part of human nature [seen even on a biological level] • On an international level, it involves the recognition of an enemy tied to some form of geopolitical border. • Traditionally a by-product of war (i.e. WWI, WWII, Cold War) • First recorded use as a separate tactic [opportunism] was the Holocaust. Back

  3. Questions to be Answered: • What enemies have been targeted by this tactic? What type of enemies have they been? (i.e. another nation, a rival ideology, etc.) Where is this tactic still being used? • What is the Common Enemy? • Is the traditional definition of the Common Enemy no longer applicable? • Is Bush’s failure at redefining the common enemy enough to assume the tactic dead? • Did this tactic die with the end of the Cold War? • What has caused the need for a shift in the definition of the “Common Enemy”? How has the changing face of “Enemy” affected this definition? Back

  4. Thesis Statement [The west has failed in their attempt to utilise the common enemy tactic in the post-Cold War world. While the tactic is not dead, it may no longer be used in its traditional form.] In order for the west to salvage it, the common enemy tactic must be altered to account for modern globalization, selective vilification, and political opportunism. Back

  5. I - Modern Globalization • Argument: • Due to ever-increasing grasp of globalism, international economic inter-dependency is rising • Alliance or tolerance of an ever-increasing number of countries is necessary for economic growth and stability • increasingly difficult for the west to select their enemy • Restricts government, in that they may not always select most obvious enemy [i.e. The one which the people are inclined to hate] • Evidence: • “Neoliberal Economic globalization is undermining the sovereignty of the nation-state.” • “The increasingly globalized world economy calls for a similarly globalized approach to basic ethics and social procedures.” • “...requires the creation of broader coalitions, alliances and solidarity among movements from many countries.” • Counters: • The limits opposed on the West by globalization make it impossible to name an enemy that will effectively unite the people. • Globalization has put such a divide between a government and its people, that in the west, too many people are against their government’s actions to be unified by such a “simple” tactic. Back

  6. II – Selective Vilification • Argument: • The process of selecting an enemy has changed. Enemies are no longer individual alliances or nations. • Over time, enemy has changed: -WWI – Individual countries in alliances contained within geopolitical borders -WWII – Regime tied to geopolitical border -Cold War – Ideology tied to geopolitical border -War on Terror – Borderless Ideology • Common historical trends where tactic has worked: -Enemy is greater than, or equal in strength to the ‘threatened’ country -People held a fear of the enemy -Enemy is tied to geopolitical borders • Therefore, West must adapt tactic so fear is felt towards the ideology which presents a threat. • This enemy must be of equal or greater strength to the West • Evidence: • Quotes from book “Enemy with a thousand faces: the history of the other in western political thought and history.” • State enemies throughout history, draw own conclusions • Counters: • You can’t fight an enemy if it’s intangible. • Historically, the targeted enemy has been fought through a war. With a borderless enemy, a war cannot be waged against it, therefore the people will not be affected in the same manner. Back

  7. III – Political Opportunism • Argument: • Motives behind use of tactic have changed • Originally a by-product of war, now used intentionally [Opportunism] • Other areas of the world have successfully adapted the tactic to suit political motives • Case Studies: -Genocides -use of tactic to turn citizens into masses capable of killing [hatred, fear] -Middle East -successful use of tactic with ideological enemy -use hatred of people to distract from true internal problems • Evidence: • [On the Middle East] • “The region is against America and the west; the whole region with no exception.” • Several fundamentally different movements [ie. Jihadism, communism, facism, extreme nationalism, etc.] “have come together to face off with their ultimate common enemy: democracy.”[On Genocide] • By making the enemy appear to be an actual threat, or making it feared, the group dynamic changes, increasing togetherness, respect for leaders, idolization of group values, and readiness to punish deviants from in-group norms. • “Leaders were able to mobilize followers by playing up threats and reminding their people of negative past experiences, making fear seem more realistic, and even provoking the enemy to acts that would confirm these fears.” • Counters: • Both case studies focus on third-world areas. The different level of education, and the awareness of bias in the media makes the tactic significantly less likely to work in the west. • Regardless to whether the enemy is by chance or plan, it must be physically fought for the tactic to work. The ideological enemy of Western society cannot be fought in this manner. Back

  8. Works Cited List Barkawi, Tarak. Globalization and War. USA: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2006. Barkawi, Tarak. Globalization and War. USA: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2006. Chirot, Daniel, and Clark McCauley. Why Not Kill Them All? the Logic and Prevention of Mass Political Murder. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2006. Cumings, Bruce, Ervand Abrahamian, and Moshe Ma'Oz. Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth about North Korea, Iran, and Syria. New York: The New Press, 2004. Curtis, Neal. War and Social Theory. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Denton, D. Keith. "HITLER'S SECRET, EINSTEIN'S FEAR: USING ENEMIES TO EMPOWER TEAMS AND ORGANIZATIONS. " Competitiveness Review. 10.2 (Summer-Fall 2000): 209. General OneFile . Gale. York Region District School Board. 6 Sept. 2007 <http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS >. Guelke, Adrian. Terrorism and GLobal Disorder. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. Harle, Vilho. The Enemy with a Thousand Faces: The Tradition of the Other in Western Political Thought and History. Connetticut: Praeger Publishers , 2000. Maoz, Zeev et al. "What Is the Enemy of My Enemy? Causes and Consequences of Imbalanced International Relations, 1816-2001." Journal of Politics (March 2006): <http://www.journalofpolitics.org/files/69_1/Maoz-etal.pdf>. McGrew, Anthony, and Nana K. Poku, Ed. Globalization, Development and Human Security. Massachusetts: Polity Press, 2007. Moïsi, Dominique. "Reinventing the West." Foreign Affairs (Nov/Dec 2003): <http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20031101faessay82607/dominique- moisi/reinventing-the-west.html>. Petrov, Alex. The Common Enemy. 7 Apr. 2005. 18 Sep. 2007<http://alexpetrov.com/memes/hum/cmn_enemy.html>. Phares, Walid. The War of Ideas: Jihadism Against Democracy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Strauss, Mark. "Antiglobalism's Jewish Problem." Foreign Policy (Nov/Dec 2003): <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=182&page=0>. Vanaik, Achin. Selling US Wars. Massachusetts: Transnational Institute, 2007. Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars. Virtual Archive: Discussion Between Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi, Pham Van Dong and Vo Nguyen Giap. 2007. 17 Sep. 2007 <http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=va2.document&identifier=5034C9E5-96B6-175C-9744AB37C5B35708&sort=Collection &item=The%20Vietnam%20(Indochina)%20War(s)>. Back

  9. Navigation Background Info Argument I Argument II Questions Argument III Thesis Works Cited

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