Behind-the-scenes Perplexity note on political myth-making (why we avoid it): 

Jake, the concept you're describing sounds more like Carl Schmitt's political theory about the "political enemy" or Leo Strauss's ideas about external threats unifying societies, rather than something directly from Plato or Aristotle.

Plato in The Republic does discuss the "noble lie" - a founding myth that creates social cohesion by giving citizens a shared identity and purpose. He also explores how societies can be manipulated through carefully crafted narratives about threats.

Aristotle in Politics discusses how demagogues use fear and scapegoating to gain power, but doesn't specifically theorize about phantom external enemies.

The concept you're describing - where citizens tired of blaming each other invent an external "Other" to unify against - is more modern political theory. It's related to how authoritarian movements create unity through manufactured external threats when internal divisions become too costly to maintain.

The "swamp" metaphor is contemporary political rhetoric - Trump's "drain the swamp" positioned a vague, undefined Washington establishment as the enemy that explains all problems.

Your observation about this pattern is astute - when societies can't resolve internal conflicts through normal political processes, they sometimes project their problems onto external or phantom enemies. This can temporarily reduce internal tensions but usually at the cost of rational problem-solving.

For your Dormiveglia project, recognizing this pattern could be valuable - focusing on practical local solutions rather than getting caught up in the external enemy narratives that distract from actual problem-solving.

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Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46 (1988).