Internal Enemies

In Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History, the "protean enemy" of mankind is mankind itself, the revolt of the primitive against civilization.

The phrase, "the enemy within," is applied to subversives - or to social critics regarded as subversives. To cite an example that might not be contentious here, Putin regards Russian peace protestors as pro-US whereas probably they are just anti-war. A deeper meaning of "the enemy within" might be the conflicts that are present within a society whether or not anyone protests about them. A still deeper meaning might be the psychological conflicts within individual members of society, as in the "protean enemy."

A fictional hero like James Bond fights only external enemies, an endless succession of them. If the Bond series were to be doubled in length, that would simply double the number of successors of Rosa Klebb, Doctor No, Goldfinger etc. At first sight, Dominic Flandry is of the same stamp. External enemies abound. However, Flandry also acknowledges the self-inflicted internal problems that will bring down the civilization that he defends even if he does defeat all of its external enemies. (Fleming never got anywhere close to acknowledging such a thing.)

Earlier, the Shenna were an external threat to Technic civilization but it was the conflicts within the Polesotechnic League that eventually brought it down. In Flandry's time, the Merseians are not entirely an external threat because they acquired the hyperdrive from the League - as well as a lot of resentment of how they were treated by the League.

In The Night Face, the Gwydiona are clearly denying and repressing something. There is evidence of violence on their planet - but it cannot have been committed by them!