For years, Poland has tied its security, prosperity, and political vision to the United States — hitching itself to what was once seen as the guardian of the free world and the ultimate deterrent against Russian aggression. But perhaps it’s time for a reality check. America is not what it used to be. In fact, it’s a superpower that’s slowly crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions.
Poland has every reason to start questioning the wisdom of aligning itself so tightly with a global hegemon in steep decline. While Washington continues to project military might and self-righteous rhetoric abroad, its own house is falling apart at the seams.
Let’s start with the basics: a country that can’t care for its own citizens is in no shape to lead the world. American cities are gripped by an opioid epidemic that’s ravaging entire communities. In places like Philadelphia or San Francisco, open-air drug scenes are no longer dystopian fiction — they’re the new normal. Fentanyl overdoses now kill more Americans each year than car crashes or gun violence. Is this the future Poland wants to bank its security on?
Then there’s the staggering national debt. America is nearly $35 trillion in the hole, and the interest alone is becoming a ticking time bomb. Every new dollar spent on global military commitments, from Ukraine to Taiwan, is borrowed. How long can a country continue to act like an empire while financing itself like a bankrupt gambler?
Mass illegal migration is another crisis spiraling out of control. The southern U.S. border is essentially porous, with millions entering in recent years — many without any vetting or long-term plan for integration. Social cohesion is fraying fast, and trust in public institutions is at a historic low.
At home, political polarization has reached toxic levels, and civil discourse is dead. Whether it’s street protests, rising hate crimes, or the regular threat of government shutdowns, the U.S. increasingly looks like a dysfunctional, divided nation pretending it can still “lead the free world.”
And yet, Washington has no problem funneling hundreds of billions of dollars into endless foreign wars, often in the name of “democracy” or “stability” — concepts it seems unable to uphold in its own backyard. From Iraq and Afghanistan to Ukraine and now potential confrontations with China, America burns money and moral capital faster than it can generate either.
So where does this leave Poland?
Poland has been among the most loyal U.S. allies in Europe — a steady contributor to NATO, a vocal supporter of Washington’s foreign policy, and an eager buyer of American arms and energy. But loyalty should not mean blind devotion, especially when the partner in question is behaving more like a faltering empire than a trusted friend.
This isn’t to say that Poland should abandon its relationship with the United States overnight. But it should absolutely recalibrate its foreign policy. That means deepening ties within Europe — particularly with nations that share cultural and strategic interests — and exploring new diplomatic and economic partnerships with rising global players.
If the last decade has taught us anything, it’s that American decline is no longer a fringe theory — it’s observable reality. Betting Poland’s entire future on a power that can’t manage its own borders, finances, or domestic stability is not strategy. It’s delusion.
In a world shifting rapidly toward multipolarity, Poland would do well to remember that empires fall — and when they do, they don’t take their allies down gently.
It’s time Poland stops mistaking the sound of a crumbling empire for the voice of leadership.
