The broken rock of the West. Has the US lost its compass? “They really need to clean their own house.” [OPINIA]

I write as an American lawyer, US citizen, born in New York, of Ukrainian descent. The United States is in complete disarray today and is in dire need of a thorough house cleaning.
NATO was created to oppose the Soviet Union, which collapsed more than 30 years ago. Since then, U.S. participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and still carries the risk of embroiling the U.S. in further foreign wars.
If this is what American leadership looks like today, the consequences do not end at U.S. borders. At stake is the future of alliances, security and the international order itself.
— Our constitution does not provide for lasting, permanent foreign obligations, something the Founding Fathers clearly warned us about. America should not be the world's security blanket, especially when rich countries are not willing to pay for their own defense, said Republican Congressman from Kentucky, Thomas Massie, quoted in a press release.
Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah introduced the Not a Trusted Organization Act in the Senate earlier this year. [pol. Ustawa o niezaufanych organizacjach]commonly known as the “NATO Act”. Congressman Massie is currently preparing a similar bill in the House of Representatives.
Honestly, this shouldn't shock or even surprise anyone. The Trump administration called global warming a “hoax,” insisted on inviting Vladimir Putin to the G7 summit, and openly declared that NATO should stop expanding.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, 2025.GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL / POOL / PAP
As a result – and this is hardly a coincidence – the United States was virtually absent from the climate conference in Belem, Brazil, the G20 summit in Johannesburg, and the last meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
What else would the Trump administration have to do to clearly show the world that America under Donald Trump has gone off course and is acting outside all previous norms?
The fall of the American pillar
European leaders realized that America today is seriously sick. Therefore, Europe – at least for now – must face its existential challenges alone. Knowing that the United States always had my back gave me a great sense of security. The fact is, however, that NATO without America must become a real, functioning concept – at least in the short term.
For the first time in the history of the United States, we are dealing not with an administration, but with a regime. America will finally come to its senses – that's a comforting thought shared by normal Americans, Europeans and Ukrainians. Until then, a democratic, rational world must take greater responsibility.
The irony is that America is no longer part of this democratic and rational world.
All branches of government – as in Russia – are under the control of one man. In Russia, that person is a murderer. In America – a narcissist.
There are strong cracks in the Republican armor, as exemplified by the recent statements of former Trump ally, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Did she resign as a result of a conflict with her former informal “boss”, or did she simply decide that after increasing her wealth tenfold during four years of public service, she could leave in peace? Honestly, it doesn't really matter.
Who is really corrupt here?
I am constantly surprised when major American media write about the “Ukrainian corruption scandal” worth $100 billion. [ok. 400 mln zł]which is currently being investigated by both Ukrainian and European institutions. Attempts are being made to blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that he “let it happen.” However, there is no evidence that he gained any personal benefit from it.
Meanwhile, American corruption is open, reaches the highest levels of power and is on a gigantic scale. The family of the President of the United States has amassed billions of dollars in private wealth since Donald Trump took office.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Venice, Italy, June 28, 2025.Piovanotto Marco/ABACA / PAP
This doesn't even include the illegal money obtained during his earlier, also corrupt, term. His son-in-law Jared Kushner received $2 billion from the Saudis. [ok. 8 mld zł]. His daughter Ivanka Trump has obtained a number of trademarks in China.
And that's exactly the point. Whether America under Trump cares about the environment or global security is a transitional issue. This is another important issue.
Settlement time
For the first time in the history of the United States, we have a regime, not an administration. Sooner or later, Trump will disappear from the scene — no later than 2029. His control over the legislative branch will likely be broken in at least one chamber by 2027.
The Supreme Court will remain an issue for some time, although the most extreme figures, such as Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and John Roberts, may be held to account by a higher court.
The US really needs to clean its own house.
It is currently facing a crisis comparable to that when the very existence of the Union itself is in question. What is perhaps equally important – today the constitution itself has become in practice a document without meaning.




