Hello? You can thank our legislators.
True, always the politicians are accountable. But the thing is with the WTO if our tax laws (or other laws) give the US a perceived advantage then someone like the EU can argue to have them changed. In the case of the profits made in foreign countries being taxed, it was either change US tax law or be fined billions of dollars and the WTO declared US needed to tax these profits made overseas.
The case is even in the example you posted if you do not beleive it.