Edited sentence: "Rogue state" is a term of emotional propaganda, not sober analysis.Instead, the American public is told that this or that rogue state -- North Korea, Iran or Iraq -- is a direct threat to the American people and the American homeland, as it will be able to lob missiles at the United States or to give terrorists nuclear bombs or other WMD for use on American soil.Michael Lind, writer for The National Interest, has delved deeply into American imperial plans, and identifies the thinking behind the phrase 'rogue state' as:.The rogue-state rationale is employed when American leaders wish to rally support for a policy whose actual purpose -- increasing or reinforcing American military hegemony in its European, Asian or Middle Eastern sphere of influence -- cannot be explained to the public