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axis of evil
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George W. Bush: 2002 State of the Union address
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George W. Bush: 2002 State of the Union address
George W. Bush: 2002 State of the Union address U.S. Pres. George W. Bush delivering the 2002 State of the Union address, in which he described Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an “axis of evil.”

axis of evil

international relations
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History

axis of evil, expression used to describe the bellicose tendencies of Iran, North Korea, and Iraq in the early 21st century. The phrase was coined by Canadian-born U.S. presidential speechwriter David Frum and presidential aide Michael Gerson for use by U.S. President George W. Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address, when he 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 expression drew widespread international and domestic criticism. Critics asserted that the three countries mentioned were not sufficiently linked to warrant the formation of an “axis,” a term that recalls the Axis powers of World War II—Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and imperial Japan.

• U.S.-Iran Relations: A timeline of betrayal, rhetoric, and bloodshed.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Tracy Grant.