THE EMPTY SUIT:

Obama's empty threats weaken US: If Iran continues to break non-proliferation rules, Barack Obama needs international consensus before threatening Tehran again (Johan Bergenäs, 2/10/10, guardian.co.uk)

Obama ascended to the presidency vowing to engage Iran in dialogue about its nuclear weapons programme. As president, he has also talked tough about his determination to work multilaterally to prevent further nuclear weapons proliferation. "Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished … The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons," Obama said in Prague in April 2009. And yet, since his remarks, international non-proliferation rules have been circumvented, violations have gone unpunished and the world is divided over how to deal with Iran – a country widely accused of pursuing nuclear weapons.

The threat of increased pressure, such as sanctions, is as much a policy device as the sanctions themselves, and must only be used if the US can back it up with effective action. This has not been the case under Obama – and with unfortunate consequences.