Replacing the Rogue Rhetoric: A New Label Opens the Way to a Better Policy

The change in rhetoric from the label rogue states to states of concern acknowledges the need to reevaluate current policy toward these states stops short of formulating new strategy. With few exceptions, Washington's approach to changing or curbing these behaviors was to isolate or punish the country in question with comprehensive sanctions, which were complemented by the use of other punitive tools. The change in rhetoric from the label rogue states to states of concern acknowledges the need to reevaluate current policy toward these states stops short of formulating new strategy. Even while the concept of rogue state reigned supreme, no objective criteria defined the term. With few exceptions, Washington's approach to changing or curbing these behaviors was to isolate or punish the country in question with comprehensive sanctions, which were complemented by the use of other punitive tools. The record of these punitive policies has been, for the most part, unimpressive. While unilateral sanctions can claim to have exacted some punitive costs, if the standard of success for sanctions involves changing the behavior of recalcitrant regimes, there is little cause for celebration.