Is America witnessing the beginning of the end? After the 2026 midterm elections, that question may sound dramatic. But the warnings coming from abroad, and the choices we are making at home, deserve more than a shrug.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard tried to influence the American political debate. A Polish conservative who knows his country’s history warned Americans about socialism. Neither gets a vote in our elections. But Americans should ask why our adversaries see opportunity in our divisions, and why a warning about government power resonates with people who have lived under authoritarian rule.
Iran’s message was no endorsement of American freedom
In September, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued an open letter attacking President Donald Trump and urging Americans to vote Democrat. The Guard is a force of a regime hostile to the United States. Its appeal to Americans should be read as propaganda from an interested party, not as a disinterested plea for peace.
After the vote, Iran’s parliament speaker welcomed what he portrayed as an American rejection of the war. Iran’s supreme leader, by contrast, warned that a change in party control would not necessarily change U.S. hostility toward Iran, according to Reuters. Tehran’s leaders have their own reasons for interpreting the results as a victory. Americans should not allow a hostile government to define what those votes meant.
A warning from Poland—and a necessary correction
Before the election, Polish conservative politician Dominik Tarczyński warned American viewers against socialism and invoked his country’s experience under communist rule. He is a member of the European Parliament. Reporting on his remarks describes his appeal to Americans and the warning he drew from Polish history.
His warning about concentrated power is worth hearing. Poland’s experience shows what happens when political opposition is suppressed and government authority is placed beyond meaningful public control. Free speech, competitive elections, private property, religious liberty, and the ability to challenge leaders are protections Americans should never take for granted.
The question Americans should be asking
My concern is that too many voters accept slogans without asking what comes next. A promise of more government benefits may sound generous, but who pays for it? What happens to the small business owner when taxes and compliance costs rise? Does another federal rule solve a real problem, or does it give distant officials more power over families and local communities?
Those questions do not make a person heartless. They are the questions a self-governing country must ask before handing more responsibility to Washington. As Tuars has argued in its discussion of Europe’s government models under strain, Americans should examine the practical results of policies abroad before assuming they will work here.
America’s future is still ours to decide
One election does not end America. But a habit of surrendering judgment to party loyalty, foreign propaganda, or comforting promises can weaken the country over time. Government grows more dangerous when citizens stop asking how much power it should have and how it can be held accountable.
The answer is not despair. Read the proposals. Follow the money. Listen to people with firsthand experience of lost freedom, while checking their claims as carefully as anyone else’s. Demand secure borders, responsible spending, a strong defense, and constitutional limits on government. And expect leaders from both parties to answer for their decisions.
America’s adversaries will always seek an advantage. Whether we give them one depends on the judgment, civic responsibility, and resolve of Americans themselves.