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“EXCELLENCE THROUGH KNOWLEDGE” P A G E 95 Fear and Enmity: The Case of Post 9/11 America Drawing on psychoanalytic, political and social psychological approaches, this paper sets out to explore the psychology of enmity and fear and the complex interaction between them. This work is divided into three sections: Part 1 will explore the effect of fear on an individual and his/her predisposition toward enmity. Part 2 will focus on the group dynamics of fear and enmity and their role in the creation of the enemy; and Part 3 concludes by examining how the manipulation of these complex forces may shape the future of the USA and the world at large. Armed peace, as it now exists in all countries, is the absence of peace of mind. One trusts neither oneself nor one’s neighbor, and half from hatred, half from fear, does not lay down arms. Rather perish than hate and fear, and twice rather perish than make oneself hated and feared – this must someday be the highest maxim for every single commonwealth too.” - Friedrich Nietzsche The 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks in the USA calls to mind the power of fear and enmity, not only by the acts of 19 men who took the lives of 3000 others for what they believed was a just cause, but in their effect on the mindset of a nation and its consequences. The events of that day blew away not only lives and buildings, but the myth that technology and power provided security. In their stead grew a rising sense of anxiety and fear of the unknown, a fear which has translated into paranoia - paranoia with far-reaching consequences. In order to understand this paranoia and its consequences, one must begin to unravel the psychology behind it. We begin first with the psychology of enmity. The importance of the study of enmity lies in the belief that “arms don’t kill people, heads kill people” (Robinson, 1980). In other words, before the first shot is fired, we first ‘think’ others to death. Thus, as the UNESCO Charter (1945) states: “Since war begins in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that we have to erect the ramparts of peace.” The enmity felt towards others can have its source in our deepest fears (see Keen, 1986; Huddy, 2004). It follows therefore that in order to realize the goal of peace, a systematic understanding of the psychology of enmity and the fear which underlies it, is first required. Recognising that the behaviour in individuals and groups is always multifactorial, this paper is not meant to offer one explanation for complex social outcomes, but rather to explore some of the factors involved. It is written in the hope that we can become more aware of the psychological forces at work in our hates and fears. As Keen (1986) writes: “It is unlikely that we will have considerable success in controlling warfare unless we come to understand the logic of political paranoia and the process of creating propaganda that justifies our hostility” (p. 11). Drawing on psychoanalytic, political and social psychological approaches, the aim was to explore the psychology of enmity and fear and the complex interaction between them. This paper is divided into three sections: Part 1 explores the effect of fear on an individual and his/her predisposition toward enmity. Part 2 focuses on the group dynamics of fear and enmity and their role in the creation of the enemy; Part 3 concludes by examining how the manipulation of these complex forces may shape the future. Rosemary Ann Frey Faculty of Education & Liberal Studies