Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently expressed mild but potentially consequential confusion regarding the nature and scope of America's proclaimed enemies.

His most recent article in the current issue of Foreign Affairs states: "A small number of countries — principally Russia, with the partnership of Iran and North Korea, as well as China — are determined to alter the foundational principles of the international system....While these countries are not an axis, and the administration has been clear that it does not seek bloc confrontation, choices these revisionist powers are making mean we need to act decisively to prevent that outcome.”

But when Blinken was asked to address the volatile situation in the Middle East during his press conference in Laos last week, he said, “Unfortunately, what we have is, among other things, a so-called axis of resistance led by Iran that looks to create other fronts in different places.”

The “different places” he was referring to are Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, the Red Sea and Israel itself. They are all locations where Iran and its proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis — are wreaking havoc.

But the axis of latent hostility toward, and active subversion of, the U.S.-led international order extends far beyond the Middle East and involves dangerous parties more powerful than Iran and its proxies — that is, those nuclear-armed states mentioned in Blinken’s article: Russia, China and North Korea.

Congressional leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Mike Johnson and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer are not reluctant to........

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