Longer equivalential chains make the enemy’s identity less stable.

Evidence

Frontiers are the sine qua non of the emergence of the ‘people’: without them, the whole dialectic of partiality/universality would simply collapse. But the more extended the equivalential chain, the less ‘natural’ the articulation between its links, and the more unstable the identity of the enemy (located on the other side of the frontier). This is something I have encountered at various points in my analysis. In the case of a specific demand formulated within a localized context, it is relatively easy to determine who is the adversary; if, however, there is an equivalence between a multiplicity of heterogeneous demands, to determine what your goal is and whom you are fighting against becomes much more difficult. — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 454

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: An entirely empty signifier yields fragile popular unity held by leader love alone — Ernesto Laclau, On Populist Reason, 430; Overlapping participants in opposing convoys undermine the good-bad binary. — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror…, 1100; Espionage logic makes allies and enemies arbitrarily interchangeable (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Enemy objects shift along axes of interiority and exteriority. #expands (0.85) — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 448
• Overlapping participants in opposing convoys undermine the good-bad binary. #corroborates (0.75) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 1100
• Espionage logic makes allies and enemies arbitrarily interchangeable #complicates (0.70)
• A dual identity reduces prejudice when it signals progress rather than threat #qualifies (0.70) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 594