Not long after President George W. Bush came into office, his administration took a hard-line stance against the North Korean regime, calling for a review of the Clinton administration’s policy, and eventually tagging North Korea as a member of the “axis of evil.” While North Korea had done much over the preceding years to warrant a more critical eye, in retrospect these policies set back prospects for peace and stability in the region.
改变轨道的风险是巨大的。在乔治•W•布什就任后不久，他的政府就对北朝鲜政权采取了强硬的立场，呼吁对克林顿政府的政策进行评估，并最终给北朝鲜贴上了“邪恶轴心”成员国的标签。尽管在那之前的若干年里，北朝鲜在接受国际社会更多批评的目光方面做出不少努力，但回头看来布什的这些政策使该地区和平与稳定的前景遭遇了挫折。