Why Do Some Powers Need Adversaries More Than They Need Friends?

Prepared and Analyzed by | Strategic Media Department – BETH Agency | B
Supervised by: Abdullah Al-Omairah

Since the dawn of human conflict, people have searched for simple explanations for the events unfolding around them.

An enemy here.

A rival there.

A threat approaching the borders.

A conspiracy being woven in the shadows.

Yet a different question imposes itself today:

Are all enemies real?

Or have some become psychological, political, economic, and media necessities that certain actors can no longer live without?

And here, the story begins.

The Enemy That Gives Meaning

In many cases, groups are not held together by what they love.

They are held together by what they oppose.

They do not unite around a shared project.

They unite around a shared adversary.

This is why some governments, parties, movements, and institutions build part of their identity around the existence of a permanent enemy.

The enemy justifies mobilization.

Explains failures.

Rallies supporters.

Provides additional legitimacy.

And postpones difficult questions for another day.

As long as the threat remains.

When the Rival Becomes a Necessity

The problem does not begin with the existence of a rival.

Conflict and disagreement are part of human nature.

The problem begins when the rival becomes a need.

When peace itself becomes a threat to certain interests.

At that moment, the question is no longer:

How do we win?

But rather:

How do we preserve the existence of the enemy?

Because its disappearance may create a greater crisis than its presence.

Who Fears Peace?

The question may sound strange.

Yet history offers many examples.

Some military institutions thrive in an atmosphere of tension.

Some media outlets flourish on conflict.

Some political movements grow through polarization.

And some groups lose their reason for existence once the danger they were created to confront disappears.

For this reason, peace can sometimes become a problem for those who benefit from the continuation of conflict.

Manufacturing the Enemy

At certain stages, the enemy is not merely discovered.

It is manufactured.

Amplified.

Redefined.

And sometimes portrayed as more powerful than it actually is.

Not because the threat does not exist.

But because exaggerating it creates additional benefits.

Fear unites.

Threats mobilize.

And an external enemy can divert attention from many internal problems.

This is why the "enemy" has, at times, become one of the most valuable political and media resources.

Media and the Addiction to Hostility

The media is part of this equation.

Some platforms attract larger audiences as conflict intensifies.

As anger rises.

As polarization deepens.

Human nature is often drawn more to tension than to calm.

More to conflict than to consensus.

Professional journalism, however, does not manufacture enemies.

Nor does it feed on hatred.

Its role is to help audiences understand the causes of conflict and the paths toward overcoming it.

This is the difference between media that explains conflict and media that survives on it.

What Happens When the Enemy Disappears?

This is the question some actors prefer not to confront.

If the enemy suddenly vanished:

Who would be blamed for failures?

Who would justify shortcomings?

How would internal unity be maintained?

How would supporters be mobilized?

This is why some forces fear the absence of an enemy more than the enemy itself.

Awareness: The Real Enemy of Enemy Addiction

As awareness grows, people begin asking different questions:

Is the threat real or exaggerated?

Is the conflict necessary or manufactured?

Who benefits from the continuation of hostility?

Who loses if peace prevails?

At this point, the equation begins to change.

Awareness does not eliminate real threats.

But it exposes artificial ones.

It does not prevent necessary conflicts.

But it prevents them from becoming permanent industries.

Conclusion

Not every war is meaningless.

Not every rivalry is fabricated.

And not every danger is imaginary.

Yet history teaches us that some powers do not live on victory alone.

They live on the continuation of the battle itself.

Perhaps the most important question is not:

Who is the enemy?

But rather:

Who needs the enemy most?

Reflection

The most dangerous enemy a person may face is not always the rival standing before them...

But the rival whose existence has become part of their identity.

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