North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (left) and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
“The third group are the rogue states- those that not only do not have a part in the international system, but whose very being involves being outside of it and throwing, literally, hand grenades inside in order to destroy it.”
-Secretary of State Madeline Albright
February 1998
Secretary Albright’s description may not assess the current position of all rogue states in the international environment, but it does beg the questions: what is a rogue state? And who are the rogue states?
A search of the United States Department of State website will yield no results for a list of rogue states. Why? That is because a list does not exist. There is not a designated list of rogue states that is determined by the government. Nevertheless, to add some clarity to an abstract definition, Political Scientist K.P. O’Reilly highlights four characteristics of rogue states:
The possession or development of WMDs
Involvement in international terrorism
Posing either a global or regional military threat
Challenging international norms (including human rights violations)
In order to be considered “rogue,” a nation does not have to conform to each trait. All the same, these illustrations are often what are refrenced to depict “rogue states.” The characteristics can potentially create a blanket image that incorporates several entities who do not necessarily share similar ideals. If we are to be an informed society, there must be increased knowledge about the words we use and what these words represent.
My next post will demonstrate how easily applicable the concept of a “rogue state” can be.
Academic Source: O’Reilly, K. P. “Perceiving Rogue States: The Use of the ‘Rogue State’ Concept by U.S. Foreign Policy Elites.” Foreign Policy Analysis (2007): 295-315. Print.
Photo Courtesy of EPA-Corbis (left); Atta Kenare / AFP-Getty Images.
