This comment of yours is fair enough to make. However, Poland is still a sovereign nation, so there is only a small amount of “ordering around” that the EU can do. Not only because that is how the EU is “designed”, but also because Polish nationalists/conservatives would love to shout out to anyone hearing them that they are being overruled by the EU (thus only gaining more power). So to be honest I do not know what could be a solution to this, but I agree something needs to happen.

Okay? But at the end of the day, that means nothing to the oppressed LGBTQ+ people in Poland.

Haven’t you noticed e.g. the rising Chinese “imperialism” in Africa?

You mean the billions that China has poured into Africa in the form of supplies, infrastructure and now vaccines without requiring any of it to be repaid? China is also famous for outright cancelling debt for African nations especially in times of crisis like the pandemic. If they’re trying to be imperialist, they’re not good at it.

What measures beyond “strongly worded letters” would actually have made a difference?

Breaking economic ties? The EU was pretty quick to ban Huawei’s 5G hardware on a rumour they they were spying on users (rumours spread by the US mind you, a country that has been confirmed to have spied on EU countries in the recent past). Why not do the same with US companies if they wanted to stick it to them?

Or… at least tell the US to remove their nuke bases from EU countries?