The "Axis of Evil" - What should we do?
Moderator
refer to nations that threaten the peace of the world. What actions,
if any, should we take against these nations?
[From President Bush's State of the Union, 2002] - "Some of these
regimes have been pretty quiet since September 11, but we know their
true nature. North Korea is a regime arming with missiles and weapons
of mass destruction, while starving its citizens.
Iran aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an
unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom.
Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support
terror. The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax and nerve gas
and nuclear weapons for over a decade. This is a regime that has
already used poison gas to murder thousands of its own citizens,
leaving the bodies of mothers huddled over their dead children. This
is a regime that agreed to international inspections then kicked out
the inspectors. This is a regime that has something to hide from the
civilized world.
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. They
could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match
their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the
United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would
be catastrophic."