The Senate must decide whether New START enhances American security. Unfortunately, whatever the decision which has been delayed perhaps until late Fall to allow Obama s administration more time to muster support for the treaty the US and Russian governments will continue to place each other in the nuclear crosshairs for the foreseeable future.

The second factor is that BNP s case came to a head at a time when US prosecutors were being accused of treating banks as too big to jail, for fear that pressing charges against them would weaken them too much and thus undermine the real economy. BNP just happened to be one of the next banks in line for prosecution and thus found itself in the crosshairs.