Special to WorldTribune.com
By John J. Metzler, February 25, 2026
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech “hit the ball out of the park” during the recent Munich Security Conference in Germany.
The address provided a policy tour de force which recalled the Cold War, post-communist history and then seamlessly blended the topic into a cohesive mission statement for responding to contemporary political challenges and enhancing transatlantic ties.
Speaking to delegates, Secretary Rubio mentioned that at the time of the first Munich Security Conference in 1963, “Soviet communism was on the march. Thousands of years of Western civilization hung in the balance. At that time, victory was far from certain. But we were driven by a common purpose. We were unified not just by what we were fighting against; We were unified by what we were fighting for.”
He stressed, “And together, Europe and America prevailed and a continent was rebuilt. Our people prospered. In time, the East and West blocs were reunited. A civilization was once again made whole.” He underscored, “That infamous wall (the Berlin Wall) that had cleaved this nation into two came down, and with it an evil empire, and the East and West became one again.”
Then he viewed a complex period following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent “Peace dividend” so many countries, including the U.S. sought.
“But the euphoria of this triumph led us to a dangerous delusion: that we had entered, “the end of history;” that every nation would now be a liberal democracy …We increasingly outsourced our sovereignty to international institutions while many nations invested in massive welfare states at the cost of maintaining the ability to defend themselves… And in a pursuit of a world without borders, we opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people. We made these mistakes together, and now, together, we owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward, to rebuild.”
Rubio’s political gravitas and formation shone forth in what was a clarion call to Western states.
Secretary Rubio stated:
“The United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration, driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign, and as vital as our civilization’s past. And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe…For the United States and Europe, we belong together.”
He stressed significantly, “We are part of one civilization, Western civilization. We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together.”
The speech took a more philosophical turn making an eloquent call for unity and solidarity:
“We are connected spiritually and we are connected culturally. We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive, because the two great wars of the last century serve for us as history’s constant reminder that ultimately, our destiny is and will always be intertwined with yours, because we know that the fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to our own.”
During the long address Rubio didn’t specifically mention the current threats to modern and comfortable European nations; namely Russia by way of Putin’s war in Ukraine, the Iranian mullahs, nor the Chinese communists who threaten both the global military and economic balance of power.
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We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together. |
Thus, this wasn’t the standard Munich Security Conference speech than a statement of Western political canon; “America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity, and that once again we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends.”
Thus, Marco Rubio underlined the importance of NATO’s cohesion focusing on a common future binding the United States to the transatlantic relationship.
The speech provided a well-received “game changer” as it restated and reinforced U.S. foreign policy but refocused the political aperture in the year since Vice President J. D. Vance, speaking largely to the same group a year ago, sent shockwaves and uncertainty through the audience by chiding European governments. Following Rubio’s address, one European official added, “Mr. Secretary, I’m not sure you heard the sigh of relief through this hall when we were just listening to what I would interpret as a message of reassurance, of partnership.”
During the address I somehow felt the smiling spirit of Ronald Reagan was in the room.
John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism the Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China (2014). [See pre-2011 Archives]
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