I'm myself fairly skeptic when someone calls for govt. intervention. Full disclosure - I support. Govt. intervention - well what intervention do you want? Do you want the US govt to guarantee that you get all the amenities in a foreign city where you are checking in?

There was a time when one would be very lucky getting any kind of miles on non-US airlines. I've myself travelled several en route to India where I received none. The picture is a bit brighter these days although not perfect. Not a fault of alliances though, but better than pre alliance days.

The fact is that with international travel, spanning multiple airlines/countries, one cannot expect that a uniform consistent treatment across the board. You mention UA and LH as examples of good alliance partners, but I am ticked off that I need about 80% more miles to fly on LH planes than the ones listed on UA's mileage chart (for some awards). But should the govt intervene in this? I would hope not and leave it up to the competitive forces among UA and its competitors.