&gt; They already have all their lines of reason to collectively paint the west as an enemy, the west can&#x27;t be made &quot;double enemy&quot;.<p>Oh, we absolutely can. See, we could be a passive enemy and that would be good for them, but not <i>as</i> good as an enemy that actually engages. That&#x27;s what drives the spiral of polarization and demonization. Without the spiral it stops at the first level and their recruiting power is reduced accordingly.