Rubio to Address Western Civilization Renewal in Greece
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to deliver a speech in Greece on Wednesday, where he will advocate for the renewal of Western civilization and call on allies to stand with the United States against what he perceives as the decline of the West.
This theme has been a recurring focus during Rubio’s time at the State Department, as he’s frequently criticized the diminishing values that form the foundation of Western society. His upcoming address will further emphasize these concerns. The speech is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET, which corresponds to 6:30 p.m. local time in Greece, and it will take place amidst the historical backdrop of the Acropolis.
Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary for global public affairs at the State Department, noted, “Secretary Rubio will deliver an address from the birthplace of Western civilization, where he will call upon Americans and Europeans alike to join together in a great renewal of the Western spirit—an inheritance that spans from Athens and Rome to Christendom and the founding of the American Republic.”
With the Acropolis as a poignant backdrop, Rubio intends to reflect on ancient Greece’s historical legacy as the initial manifestation of key Western virtues: curiosity, courage, ambition, and an unquenchable desire for exploration and discovery. Johnson added that Rubio plans to highlight the loss of these essential qualities, urging allies throughout the West to collaborate with the U.S. in rejecting decline, preserving their shared legacy, and tackling the challenges of a new era marked by great-power competition.
Additionally, during his trip, Rubio will unveil a new counterterrorism partnership between the U.S. and Greece. He emphasized Greece’s strategic significance, calling it a “source of stability in an unstable world.” Rubio articulated this point by remarking, “In a world dealing with destabilizing events, the importance of this alliance with Greece is clear—it plays a crucial role in maintaining stability.”
At the Munich Security Conference in Germany earlier this year, Rubio’s speech earned him a standing ovation from European leaders and garnered millions of online views. Some praised it as “one of the greatest” speeches by a Secretary of State in recent decades, which some speculate might bolster Rubio’s prospects for the presidency in 2028.
In that earlier address, Rubio noted that for five centuries up to World War II, the West expanded globally, establishing vast empires. However, he pointed out that following the war, Europe lay in ruins, and the rise of “godless communist revolutions” led many to believe that Western dominance was permanently over. He emphasized that, historically, many had resigned themselves to this fate, but acknowledged that previous leaders chose not to accept decline, stating, “They recognized that decline was a choice—and it was a choice they refused to make.”
Rubio urged European leaders to embrace a revitalized, confident spirit, stating, “We don’t want our allies to be burdened by guilt and shame. We seek partners who take pride in our culture and heritage, understanding that we share a legacy of a grand and noble civilization, and who are, alongside us, willing and able to defend it.”
He underscored the importance of not rationalizing a failing status quo but instead confronting the necessary actions to rectify it, expressing that America does not wish to simply manage the West’s decline but aims to revitalize a long-standing friendship and restore one of humanity’s greatest civilizations.
