US counter-proliferation policy : The case of Iran

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has pursued various nuclear counter-proliferation policies. Iran and North Korea stand out as prime case studies for examining the difficulties that are faced when seeking to confront a determined proliferator through peaceful means. Whether efforts focus on an attempt to alter such proliferator's motivation through offers of inducements ("carrots") or application of pressure ("sticks"), international negotiators have found that the proliferator tends to gain the upper hand in negotiations, due to its determination at the strategic level and its ability to play a primarily tactical game at the negotiating table (Landau 2012).