International outlaws such as Iran and North Korea must be dealt with firmly and practically, but the United States, for all its influence and resources, cannot handle this delicate assignment alone.

Other nations, particularly those closest to such trigger-points, must also join to prevent bullies from creating serious situations. America did not get enough help from the likes of France, Germany and Russia in its efforts to combat al-Qaida and Iraq, and it is meeting with less than encouraging conditions in other fields.

The Associated Press reports that differences between the United States and Europe over how firmly to deal with Iran and its suspect nuclear program have resulted in the European Union pushing recommendations that ignore American suggestions.

The U.S.-European rift surfaced during a Vienna meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency. The board’s latest draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press and being circulated informally for reaction from other delegates, was nearly identical to one that France, Britain and Germany came up with — a text that American officials said was not tough enough.

The approach of Great Britain is curious, of course, since it is an ally against al-Qaida and Iraq. The American suggestions demanded that Iran grant agency inspectors “complete, immediate and unrestricted access”; provide “full information” about past illegal nuclear activities; and suspend “immediately and fully” uranium enrichment and related activities.

The agency’s meeting has become the main battleground between Iran and the United States, which wants to take Iran before the U.N. Security Council for alleged violations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The Americans asked that the draft include an Oct. 31 deadline. The EU text remained more vague on both demands and a time frame, asking only that IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei submit a comprehensive report before November for evaluation by the board.

ElBaradei shrugged off the idea of a deadline and repeated that his investigation has not clearly established whether Iran is trying to make nuclear arms — as Washington asserts.

We constantly hear politicians demanding that America work harder at cooperating with other nations to cope with threats, such as Iran and the North Korean indications of nuclear proliferation. Yet when the United States tries to lead the way in those directions, it does not get the support from people who should be expected to do better.

International tensions are something like the growing pollution of our globe. Single nations such as the United States can turn heaven and earth to prevent it, but other countries, particularly the bigger ones, have to join in. The same goes for battling the nuclear weapons threat. So far, others are dragging their feet in labeling trouble and dealing with it properly.