It will be three years come the end of January since President Bush made his first declaration of “The Axis of Evil,” the three regimes of Iran, North Korea, and Iraq who sponsored in many ways acts of terrorism commited by individuals against the free world. Since that day, the United States has been commited to capturing — and more appropriately, killing — these individuals, freezing their funds, and in more notable cases, toppling the governments that support them by force. So far the War on Terror, while a painful course, has been a successful one. The end of President Bush’s first term, however, will mark the end of an age. The war as we know it will come to an end and take a considerably different course. Let me introduce you to “The War on Tyranny.”

While not all that different, the War on Tyranny will be taking an approach that emphasizes the establishment of free, open societies as a means to defeat terrorism. That begins with throwing America’s weight behind democratic movements in countries where there is potential for revolution. The basis of this theory is that when presented with the options of freedom, choice, and prosperity, people will always choose that over restriction, censorship, and oppression. By aiding the people of these countries in winning control over their governments, and allowing this kind of prosperity to occur, terrorism will soon follow in the path of the deposed regimes who supported it.

Natan Sharansky’s The Case For Democracy, a book that President Bush has acquired a deep passion for, revolves around the theory that people will always choose freedom over oppression, that democracy will always beat tyranny, and that terrorism does not win the hearts of people as liberation does. President Bush has become so enamored of this theory that, according to CNN, “The President has pressed it on his top advisers and is even proselytizing outside his inner circle.”

And we saw that today when Dr. Condoleeza Rice testified before the Senate. During the appointment hearing, Rice uttered an as-of-yet little talked about phrase termed “Outposts of Tyranny.” The usual suspects were there, namely North Korea and Iran, but Zimbabwe, Cuba, Burma, and Belarus made the list as well. These regimes do not have in common an expansive funding program for terrorist organizations, one of Iran’s specialties, but what they do have in common is a tragic history of government oppression against their own people. As the future Secretary of State, Rice has given us a precious look into America’s foreign policy agenda for the next four years. We are going to tackle terrorism by defeating tyranny.

President Bush will also be using his inaugural speech especially to talk about the importance of spreading freedom abroad. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “On the international front, aides said Tuesday, he will discuss giving people the freedom to form a government. Domestically, Bush will talk about freedom from government.” Subtly but surely, President Bush and his administration are gearing up their new strategy.

I suspect the term “Outposts of Tyranny” will be used much more often now than “Axis of Evil,” but don’t confuse the two. While our ears have all become a little numb to this kind of rhetoric, it signifies a dramatic change to U.S. foreign policy. We will be fighting abroad for what America stands for at home. And Iraq is just the beginning, the staging ground for a domino effect of global democratic revolutions. We are living at a point in history where people can shed the chains of a century of oppression within weeks, but all they need is a little help. That’s why America will be there for them, to help the people wage their War on Tyranny.