About The Enemies Project
Why We Do
We live in a time of deep political hostility. Each side believes the other is not just wrong—but dangerous. This hostility has become a way of life. And it is not an accident. There is a structure to our estrangement. A system. A perfected business model. A path to control. Enemy Makers—powerful political leaders and media figures—understand that outrage is profitable. That fear is mobilizing. They intentionally create in us the Enemy Trance—a natural psychological state where empathy collapses, we believe the other side is inherently evil, and evil, of course, must be defeated.. Why stoke us? Because those in the Enemy Trance are loyal, predictable, and easy to manipulate. It's primal. So they study algorithms. They distort our differences. They magnify and reward our contempt. They teach us to see our fellow citizens not as people—but as corrupt, selfish. They want us angry, afraid, loyal.  Most people sense that something is awry. Powerful manipulation is happening on the other side. Not on their own side, perhaps, but at least they see that manipulation is occurring. They long for a time—not perfect, but human—when trust was something we started with, not something we had to earn back every day. A time when offering respect wasn’t rare or risky, but natural. When problems were hard, but shared—and solving them didn’t require hating the other side. This longing is not a weakness. It is a wisdom. And it is the heart of rebellion. The Enemies Project is a rebellion against the polished machinery of enemy-making.
What We Do
We bring people together—not to debate, but to come face-to-face. Not to argue, but to understand. Not to compromise their values—but to reclaim something deeper: the capacity to recognize each other as fellow citizens, fellow humans, insightful, valuable, real. Most of our conversations are political—between people on opposite sides of an ideological divide. But not all. Because the story of division runs deeper than politics. It shapes how we face conflict in every corner of our lives. We’ve been taught that reconciliation is weakness. That to preserve our integrity, we must hold the line—even when that line severs relationships, families, and communities. But this, too, is part of the lie. We expressly do not seek solutions to the great issues of our time. Eliezer and Najib are not going to solve the Israel Gaza crisis. Why? Because that would be an impossible lift for our partcipants, and more, their solutions would be rejected by those who haven’t experienced what they have. So what is the point then of two people, who view each other as enemies, meeting and talking. Our conversations end not when minds are changed, but when both people can say: I have been understood—fully, fairly, and without distortion. This is the moment of emotional transformation for the participants. But more importantly, it is the moment of emotional transformation for many in the audience. We in society support extreme leaders and positions when we are convinced the other side is an existential threat. When passionate audience members are (effectively) heard by their enemy, the threat drops from level 10 to level 4. They consider, maybe for the first time: but for circumstances, this could be my friend. Politics change when ordinary people stop buying the narrative of Enemy Makers. When they no longer view each other as enemies. What we foster is not limp neutrality. It is not centrism. It is resistance to being used. It is a refusal to be turned against our brothers and sisters. Understanding is not just a bridge—it’s a barricade against those who thrive on our estrangement.
When Enemies Talk
We do this because we do not capitulate to hatred. We choose the hard and beautiful path.
