Bush Might Extend “The Axis of Evil” Once Re-elected

Once U.S. President George W. Bush is re-elected, the U.S. may possibly extend the so-called “axis of evil,” which is currently the target of the U.S.’ pre-emptive strike.

The online edition of the weekly magazine Time reported on September 13 that Deputy Undersecretary of Defense William Luti said, “There are at least five or six countries with traits that no responsible leader can allow,” hinting that the doctrine of pre-emptive war could soon apply to these countries.

During the private August 19 conference call with Capitol Hill aides from both parties,

Luti did not name the nations he had in mind but said, “They are led by dictators with Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programs and close ties to terrorists.”

Time suggested that the Bush administration might be looking well beyond the current “axis of evil,” which includes North Korea, Iraq, and Iran, putting countries like Syria on the spot. The magazine also reported the concerns of Democrats that a second Bush administration may be more militarily aggressive than the first.

Luti was the military advisor to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and joined the Defense Department after working as the advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney in the early ages of the Bush administration. He is a well-known neo-conservative who took part in planning the Iraq War.

“Luti simply mentioned well-established official policy, not advocating pre-emptive strikes. The U.S. has many other policy options at its disposal such as supporting opposition groups in suspect states,” said a Pentagon spokesman who declined to release the script of the call.

The Republican Party reconfirmed its support of the administration-led war on terrorism and non-proliferation of WMD at the Republican National Convention on August 31 by adopting a policy platform that includes the doctrine of pre-emptive war.

Jin Lee leej@donga.com