Though the recent row between the much loved prime minister and the ambassador from the erstwhile colonial power will, in all likelihood, not foment outright protests - the way an incursion by this same foreign power into the country’s airspace did - surely such discord will only serve to further a people long since wary of foreign influence.

rankle

Explanation:

Political disputes can be very stressful, not only for the politicians involved, but for the general population, especially when the political dispute involves politicians much admired by the population or when the dispute is made only with accusations and no proposal. In the present case, we can conclude that even if the population does not start any protest against the political dispute that is taking place, surely such disagreement will only serve to further rankle people long since wary of foreign influence.

answer; correlational;