IMPLICAŢIILE DE SECURITATE ALE STIGMATIZĂRII IDEOLOGICE: OPOZIŢIA POLITICĂ ŞI VULNERABILITĂŢILE ASIMETRICE ÎN ROMÂNIA
THE SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF IDEOLOGICAL STIGMATIZATION: POLITICAL OPPOSITION AND ASYMMETRIC VULNERABILITIES IN ROMANIA

Summary/Abstract: In contemporary democracies, political opposition is increasingly reframed from a legitimate component of democratic competition into an ideologically stigmatized and securitized threat. This paper investigates the intersection between domestic political polarization, institutional governability, and national security, arguing that the systematic delegitimization of opposition forces may erode the middle ground necessary for democratic negotiation and coalition-building. Focusing on Romania as a case study, the article examines discursive episodes from 2018 to 2025 in which political actors and media narratives framed adversaries through labels such as “toxicity”, “criminality”, “crisis-generation”, “geopolitical danger”, or “systemic threat”, also using the 2026 political context as an analytical extension for assessing current institutional consequences. Employing securitization theory and critical discourse analysis, the study shows how such narratives may transform ordinary political competition into a logic of exclusion, raising the symbolic cost of compromise and contributing to institutional fragility. The analysis further suggests that intense internal polarization can become exploitable by hostile actors through hybrid warfare, cognitive manipulation, and disinformation. Ultimately, the paper argues that safeguarding the legitimacy of democratic opposition is not only a political requirement of pluralism, but also a relevant component of national resilience and security.

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