Typically, those legislators have looked the other way when Israel's nuclear program has come under scrutiny. Paradoxically, the early dominance of the United States in the nuclear arms arena made sidestepping tough nonproliferation policies simpler. U.S. policy-makers could tell themselves that they had a monopoly that bought time while other issues were addressed. There was always a need to buy more time later. In fact, time ran out long ago.
Nuclear technology is in more hands and is more easily acquired by still others.
What's more, recent events have created more unpredictability. The Soviet menace, as worrisome as it might have been, provided a framework for foreign policy, including nuclear arms control. Now that focus is gone, and the breakup of the former Soviet Union has created new proliferation possibilities among its former satellites. Meanwhile, North Korea has balked at nuclear inspections from the International Atomic Energy Agency, as is also the case with Iraq and several other would-be nuclear countries. The United States has little leverage to curb their ambitions.