The enemy eludes stable identification the moment it is named

Evidence

From the moment the enemy appears-the enemy vanishes. The enemy is determined by distance, and distance, like the desert, grows. “If only I could sometimes sit far away,” writes Nietzche, “if not as far as my enemy.” The enemy withdraws, goes into hiding, and evades interrogation, surrendering at most to a confused multiplication oflabels. — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 376

Categorization

• DEFINE: Anidjar’s core thesis: the enemy is constituted by distance and hence withdraws from naming/interrogation precisely when confronted.