Of all the ugly stories going around, this one might be the most depressing. Is this anything but blackmail?

The world must help the United States stop Iran and North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons if it wants to avoid military action like in Iraq, U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Thursday.

"We don't ever want to have to deal with the proliferation issue again the way we dealt with Iraq," Rice told the International Institute for Strategic Studies.


"If you don't want a made-in-America solution, then let's find out how to resolve the North Korean case and the Iranian case."

Why are we acting this way? And why do we think people are more likely to help us if we threaten war than not?