A New "Virus" Hitting the International Scene?

Yesterday the New York Times "Idea of the Day" blog should have simply taken the day off, without further ado:

Today’s idea: Venezuela, Iran and Russia together pose a serious threat to American objectives worldwide, a foreign affairs scholar writes, dubbing the combined peril the “Virus.”

Really New York Times? Really? They must have just been sooo happy that they now have a new name to call these countries, a new "axis of evil", ooooh so media-y.

Sean Goforth (the "foreign affairs scholar" who wrote the article) even acknowledges how stupid these silly names are:

Ever since “axis of evil,” broad characterizations of geopolitical threats have been considered impolitic, if not ignorant. Certainly this had a lot to do with the intractable stance taken by the US government after President Bush's 2002 State of the Union, which led to the invasion of one country that didn't have WMD while speeding the development of WMD in at least one, if not both, of the other axis members.

But never mind all that, Goforth thinks we should go ahead and label them anyway, just maybe not go to war this time. Because after all "Venezuela, Iran, and Russia constitute a VIRUS of instability that threatens the United States and Western order." And isn't that what its really about? These people don't care what these countries do, so long as it doesn't threaten "American objectives worldwide" or "western order". I mean that whole sovereign right thing overrated anyway. Because after all, America's never been wrong before....oh wait....except for the "axis of evil".