raise the specter of (something)
To make people aware of or worry about something unpleasant, dreadful, or terrifying. Primarily heard in US. The sudden dip in stock prices has raised the specter of another global recession with some investors. Throughout the Cold War, politicians raised the specter of Communism and the Iron Curtain over anything they thought to be "un-American."
raise the ˈspectre of something
(British English) (American English raise the ˈspecter of something) make people afraid that something unpleasant might happen: The news of more cuts has raised the spectre of redundancies once again.A spectre is an old word for a ghost.