The rogue states are gone. Is the world today a safer place than it was a week ago? Not exactly. The United States has simply decreed that it is removing the phrase from its diplomatic vocabulary. But the declaration shows that the U.S. has decided to break with its stereotypes, and to see hope where it once only saw menace. That could make the world a safer place.

The U.S. State Department developed the term "rogue states" to refer to seven countries -- Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria -- that seemed to have hostile intent toward the U.S. Their "sole purpose was destroying the system," explained U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. There were thought to be sponsors of terrorism that targeted the U.S. and its allies. From Washington's perspective, these governments refused to see reason and were somehow resistant to the usual diplomatic blandishments.

But earlier this week, Ms. Albright said in a radio interview that the U.S. would no longer refer to those countries as "rogue states." Instead, they are now known as "states of concern." Her spokesman explained that "It's not really a change in behavior or policy or what we're doing as much as it is finding a better description or a different description, because a single description, 'one size fits all,' doesn't really fit anymore."