"The problem is with US regulation, politics and CYA hand-wringing" The article specifically addresses your cynicism about "regulation and politics", only they

"The problem is with US regulation, politics and CYA hand-wringing" The article specifically addresses your cynicism about "regulation and politics", only they call it "safety regulations". They found it not to be the deciding factor. Lack of construction outside the US would seem to support that conclusion or, alternatively, to accept those factors as unchanging, sort-of like the laws of nature, and to blaming democracy for all ills of society.