There is a fundamental problem at play here. It is the 'Us Vs. Them' that springs up from the natural human desire for identity.
We have two general types of identities; one is on an individual level and one on a collective one. As we grow, our sense of identify also grows. We have seen cases in which individuals are willing to let go of their individual identities to make a sacrifice for their collective ones. People who share the same collective identity think of themselves as having a common interest and a common fate. For example, liberty lovers vs. extremist, republicans vs. democrats, Israelis vs. Palestinians, India and Pakistan, government and insurgents, the list can go on and on forever. The more progressed a sense of identity, the less there is a sense of separation.
On the surface, and hopefully people can understand the common sense of this issue, there is a dichotomous way at viewing our world. For example, black vs white, my way or the highway, right vs wrong, good vs evil so on and so forth.
This is a highly flawed way at understanding reality. However, politicians are incredibly keen on exploiting this human flaw in order to gain more money and power.