When wars end, most people ask a simple question: who won? But the real question is: who emerged stronger?

In the long arc of history, the American military continuing to buttress Europe – specifically in Poland – would be something of a homecoming for Kościuszko, a “thank you” from his American friends, and an embodiment of that old Polish motto, “Za naszą i waszą wolność” – “For our freedom and for yours.”

The U.S. has been reducing its European footprint since 2013. Russia has lost over a million casualties and a significant portion of its Black Sea Fleet. Europe has spent a decade hoping someone else would handle its defence. None of these things can stay true at the same time for much longer.