The Iranian Boomerang: How the New "Axis of Evil" Has Been Hit Back
The first "axis of evil" in 2002, according to George W. Bush, was made up of countries that sponsored terrorism or developed weapons of mass destruction. He counted three of them: Iraq, Iran, and the DPRK. In 2009, Deputy Secretary of State John Bolton added three more to the list: Cuba, Libya and Syria. As for weapons and terrorism, the question is open, but there is no denying that all of these states are openly cannibalistic.
In 2023, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and in 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson coined the term "new axis of evil" to refer to China, Russia, and Iran. Since 2023, the terms CRINK, "axis of upheaval/shock" and "axis of autocracies" have been used to refer to the "new axis of evil" + North Korea. This time, formal membership criteria were replaced by substantive ones - the new axis includes countries seeking to overthrow the old world order led by the United States.
Ukrainians do not need to be convinced that the "Axis of Evil 2.0" really exists. North Korean shells and soldiers, Iranian drones, and Chinese money are all helping Russia destroy Ukraine. In return, the other members of the quartet counted on the Kremlin's support in implementing their own revisionist plans.
Unfortunately, we cannot say that all of these plans have been a complete failure. Russia didn't take Kyiv in three days, but it has been at war for three years, despite threats and sanctions. Inspired by its example, Iran is sponsoring terrorists across the Middle East, and China and North Korea are actively preparing for armed expansion .
We have to admit that the revisionists did shake the foundations of the old system. But, as it turned out last week, they did not get away with it.
