Radical transformation always requires drawing political frontiers against an adversary.

Evidence

Radical politics cannot be located at the centre because to be radical - as Margaret Thatcher, unlike Tony Blair, very wdl knew - is to aim at a prorund transformation of power relations. This cannot be done without drawing political frontiers and defining an adversary or even an enemy. … Of course a radical project cannot be successful without winning over a wide variety of sectors. All significant victories of the left have always been the result of an alliance with important secton of the middle classes whose interests have been aniculated to those of the popular secton. Today more than ever such an alliance is vital for the formulation of a radical project. But this does not mean that such an alliance requires taking the middle ground and trying to establish a compromise between neo-liberalism and the groups that it oppresses. There are many issues concerning the provision of decent public services and the creation of good conditions of life on which a broad alliance could be established. However, this cannot take place without the elaboration of a new hegemonic project that would put again on the agenda the struggle for equality which has been discarded by the advocates of nco-liberalism. — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 533

Categorization

• DEFINE: Distinguishes the radical project’s frontier-drawing from mere centrist compromise — key to the enemy/adversary conceptual apparatus.
• XREF: Connects to the reader’s standing interest in how a non-exclusionary ‘we’ could be constituted; Mouffe’s answer is that frontiers are unavoidable even in alliance-building. — connects to: Ideological struggle must target the strongest adversary, not the weakest — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1541; Political thought asks how to fight the enemy, never what the enemy is — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab: A History of the…, 77; Every domain of power necessarily generates opposing forces within itself. — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism: A Critique of…, 272 (+2 more)
• DEEPTHINKING: The compression of alliance-with-middle-classes and frontier-drawing into one move condenses Mouffe’s whole agonistic reworking of left strategy.

Broader Connections

• Ideological struggle requires engaging one’s strongest adversaries, unlike warfare #expands (0.78)
• Ideological struggle must target the strongest adversary, not the weakest #expands (0.76) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1541
• Every domain of power necessarily generates opposing forces within itself. #corroborates (0.74) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 272
• Radicalization is enforced by inserting ever-new layers that demote wavering ranks. #exemplifies (0.73) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 860
• Political thought asks how to fight the enemy, never what the enemy is #qualifies (0.72) — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 77