A shared external enemy can suspend internal conflicts among rival groups.

Evidence

Muslim definition of the war as the West vs. Islam facilitated reduction or suspension of antagonisms within the Muslim world. Old differences among Muslims shrank in importance compared to the overriding difference between Islam and the West. In the course of the war Muslim governments and groups consistently moved to distance themselves from the West. Like its Afghan predecessor, the Gulf War brought together Muslims who previously had often been at each other’s throats: Arab secularists, nationalists, and fundamentalists; the Jordanian government and the Palestinians; the P.L.O. and Hamas; Iran and Iraq; opposition parties and governments generally. “Those Ba’athists of Iraq,” as Safar al-Hawali put it, “are our enemies for a few hours, but Rome is our enemy until doomsday.” The war also started the process of reconciliation between Iraq and Iran. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 690

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the classic in-group/out-group and common-enemy dynamics from social psychology, and to the ‘rally around the flag’ effect in international relations literature. — connects to: External wars are waged partly to keep the domestic population pliant. — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 278; A manufactured enemy works best against groups that reject the unifying cause — John Higham, Strangers in the Land: Patterns of…, 1297; War’s unity imperative itself restrains coercive anti-alien tactics that would breed resentment — John Higham, Strangers in the Land: Patterns of…, 1508 (+1 more)