Axis of Evil

Term used by President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address to describe the countries of Iran, North Korea, and Iraq. The president asserted that “states like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.”

The term met with widespread international and domestic criticism. Critics asserted that the three countries mentioned by President Bush were not sufficiently linked to warrant the formation of an “axis”—a term that harks back to the Axis powers of World War II, which included Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and imperial Japan.

The administration defended the use of the term. On February 18, 2002, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice stated on ABC's This Week program that Iran, Iraq, and North Korea warranted being called an axis because of certain similarities and links. She described these links as their opaque and repressive characteristics, harshness toward their people, and aggressive commitment to the acquirement of weapons of mass destruction.