Psychopolitics

<DIV><P>For thousands of years, political leaders have unified communities by aligning them against common enemies. However, today more than ever, the search for &ldquo;common&rdquo; enemies results in anything but unanimity. Scapegoats like Saddam Hussein, for example, led to a stark polarization in the United States. Renowned neuropsychiatrist and psychologist Jean-Michel Oughourlian proposes that the only authentic enemy is the one responsible for both everyday frustrations and global dangers, such as climate change&mdash;ourselves. Oughourlian, who pioneered an &ldquo;interdividual&rdquo; psychology with Ren&eacute; Girard, reveals how all people are bound together in a dynamic, contingent process of imitation, and shows that the same patterns of irrational mimetic desire that bring individuals together and push them apart also explain the behavior of nations.</P></DIV>