An enemy

"An enemy is needed to give the people hope.  That said, the feeling of identity is based in the hatred of those who aren't the same.  It is necessary to cultivate hate as a civil passion.  The enemy is the people's friend.  They need someone to hate so that they feel justified in their own misery.  Always.  Hatred is the true primordial passion."

-Umberto Eco

This is why Congress cannot cut the military budget and also why there will always be racism in America. We need external and internal enemies to survive.

Sad, but true.