Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, and Syria

"Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion...and you allow him to make war at pleasure."—Abraham Lincoln

The Bush administration has thus far left little doubt regarding its intentions for the unfortunate countries that compose the so-called "Axis of Evil." It has already disposed of Iraq, while North Korea and Iran ignore US threats at their peril. The same goes for Syria, the object of an intense propaganda campaign in the waning days of Operation Iraqi Freedom—when it was reported that contingency plans for war with Damascus were under review.

Yet Americans know very little about these three "evil" countries beyond what the Pentagon has told them. In Axis of Evil, noted experts on each country set the record straight, confronting relentless fear-mongering with hard facts. The authors explore each country's history and internal politics alongside the spotty record of past US interventions—including the war in Korea and the CIA-sponsored overthrow of Iran's elected prime minister in 1953. While entertaining no illusions about these despotic regimes, Axis of Evil demonstrates that the whole truth is more complicated.