US secretary of state Marco Rubio has called on western nations to uphold their traditional values or face “atrophy, servitude and decline” over the rest of the century.
“We find ourselves at a crossroads because the next decade and the decisions we make will write the story of the next century,” Rubio said. “We will either choose to act now or lose the choice to act at all.”
Rubio said that the US believed Europe could “awaken from its long slumber”, pointing to rising defence spending and new partnerships as signs of a “generational shift”.
“It’s become fashionable today to believe that enlightened foreign policy means prioritising the ‘global community’ over one’s own people. Here, too, we have much more to learn from the men of Ancient Greece, because they knew that there was nothing selfish or wrong about loyalty to your nation, nor in fighting to defend its interests above all else,” he said.
Rubio’s comments come as the Trump administration has sharply criticised allies in Europe, accusing them of betraying their traditional values and shared civilisational inheritance dating back to ancient Greece and Rome.
JD Vance, the vice-president, has launched similar accusations against European governments throughout his time as Donald Trump’s second-in-command, including during a speech at the Munich Security Conference last year.
Both Vance and Rubio are considered possible Republican successors to Trump in the White House after the 2028 election, meaning the administration’s confrontational approach to Europe is likely to continue if the party retains the presidency.
The US National Security Strategy, released late last year, warned that the continent faced the risk of “civilisational erasure” due to its migration policies and efforts to regulate big tech — which the administration regards as an attack on freedom of speech.
Officials at the state department have earmarked millions of dollars in grants for Maga-aligned groups in Europe seeking to combat “censorship” and develop “civilisational bonds” between the US and the continent.
The administration’s antipathy for Europe is in many ways an extension of America’s own domestic culture wars, regarding Brussels as bastion of the liberal elites.
Rubio made the sweeping remarks in a speech at the Pnyx in Athens, the rocky hill where Athenians gathered to debate and vote on the affairs of the city from the fifth century BC, which is regarded as the birthplace of direct democracy.
His visit to Athens is the second stop on a four-day tour in Europe, which began on Monday in Iceland, where he discussed economic co-operation and Arctic security.
He will travel next to Lisbon, Portugal, to discuss defence, economic and technology co-operation.