A CURIOUS CAST OF CHARACTERS has made its way to Moscow in recent months. Since November of last year, leaders from Iran, Syria, and Venezuela have all paid visits. Each has sought military and economic assistance from the Russian Bear; none of them has been turned down. Russia’s conspicuous choice of allies has become so noticeable that in a recent article the Moscow newspaper, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, has even called them an “axis of outcasts.”

In many ways, Russia’s relationships with these otherwise undesirables shaped the agenda for President Bush’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24. Russia’s support for this “axis of outcasts” has already emboldened America’s enemies and contributed to the instability of the Middle East and Latin America. It also raises serious questions about the direction of Russo-American relations and the efficacy of U.S. foreign policies.