I hold it to a sign of great prudence in men to refrain alike from threats and from the use of insulting language, for neither of these things deprives the enemy of his power, but the first puts him more on his guard, while the other intensifies his hatred of you and makes him more industrious in devising means to harm you.

Niccolò Machiavelli

The strategy of demonizing an enemy leads to a cycle of violence and prevents diplomatic resolutions.

1. The demonization of the enemy creates an environment where atrocities become more acceptable.
2. Authors like Carl von Clausewitz have highlighted the consequences of viewing an enemy in an excessively negative light.
3. Such a mindset obstructs diplomatic efforts and escalates conflict, either leading to war or worsening intergroup relations.
4. When enemies are portrayed as evil, it facilitates a mindset that dehumanizes the individuals within that group, making violence easier to justify.
5. This narrative often extends beyond military leaders to encompass entire populations, leading to collective vilification.
6. The complexity of the enemy’s motives is often simplified to a singular notion of promoting evil, which overlooks potential rational motivations.
7. This strategy tends to produce a harmful, cyclical pattern of conflict, where each act of violence feeds into further demonization and retaliation.

Source

Previously:

Reflections on war propaganda