American President George W. Bush's first State of the Union address, delivered last week, will be remembered for one striking phrase: his reference to Iraq, Iran and North Korea as "an axis of evil." It is a powerful notion and one that perhaps reveals more than was intended. Yet for all its simplicity, the idea of "an axis of evil" raises questions about U.S. policy -- and may cause problems for the United States and Mr. Bush.

For a man who is not known for eloquence, Mr. Bush's words were stark, powerful and dramatic. The phrase was intended to invoke former President Ronald Reagan's famous depiction of the Soviet Union as "an evil empire." But it was also intended to capture in one simple formulation the struggle that lies ahead: good against evil. The choices are, as Mr. Bush explained after the attacks of Sept. 11, very plain: Governments are either for or against the U.S.

It is a reassuring vision of the world. It is also dangerous. Choices are not that simple. The moral clarity that the fight against terrorism assumes in the abstract quickly dissolves in real life. Some of the difficulties have become apparent in recent months. How far can and should democracies go to protect themselves? Is its eagerness to enlist supporters in the war against terrorism forcing the U.S. to support governments and policies that it should condemn? Does denying prisoners the protections of international law mock the principles the antiterror coalition is fighting to protect?