Rubio requires a powerful Europe on the Munich Security Conference | EUROtoday

When the American Secretary of State completed his speech on the Munich Security Conference on Saturday morning, the viewers stood as much as applaud him. Long. A terrific sense of aid appears to move via the corridor on the Bayerischer Hof after Marco Rubio’s phrases. That’s how massive the distinction in tone was in comparison with Vice President JD Vance’s harsh speech final 12 months. In many passages of his speech, Rubio additionally elaborated on the motives that Vance had already introduced in a way more brutal method. Just friendlier.

The contrasts with a number of factors made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz in his speech the day earlier than are apparent. And one subject that has not too long ago shaken transatlantic relations most violently, at the least from the European perspective, was overlooked: the Greenland disaster.

Rubio’s speech was eagerly awaited, and in lots of passages he speaks the best way many in Europe had hoped: He at all times returns to the deep connection between Europe and America, to the lengthy historical past. “Our roots are here,” he says. “We are part of a civilization, a Western civilization.” Rubio speaks of the Christian religion, tradition, language and the sacrifices that the forefathers made collectively to guard this civilization. Above all, Rubio makes use of this recourse to repeatedly make it clear that America is transferring ahead the best way it does with a view to defend and strengthen this Western civilization and to safe Western dominance. And unstated suggestion: the Europeans are usually not doing sufficient about it.

Addressing Europe, Rubio says: “That’s why we Americans sometimes seem a bit direct in our advice” and “We do this because we care deeply about their future and ours.” He additionally says: “We know that Europe’s fate will always have an impact on our fate.” These are sentences that may doubtless be quoted time and again in European capitals within the coming weeks and months. But Rubio additionally says, taking a look at America’s path into the longer term: “We are ready to do this alone if necessary.” Even in case you would fairly take the trail along with your folks in Europe.

Right at first of his speech, Rubio listed milestones that Europe is having issue coping with. Like Vance final 12 months, Rubio describes migration as a serious drawback that has “endangered the survival of our culture and the future of our peoples.” The day earlier than, Merz had stated that we’d persist with the local weather settlement “because we are convinced that we can only solve global tasks together.” Rubio, however, speaks of paying homage to a “climate cult”.

Merz had stated: “We do not believe in tariffs and protectionism, but in free trade” – Rubio counters this by saying that the West has “embraced the dogmatic ideology of free and unregulated trade,” which is claimed to have contributed to the decline. And Rubio makes it clear what Washington sees because the state of the worldwide order: “We can no longer put the global order above the national interests of our countries,” he says. Rubio then lists the worldwide crises wherein the United Nations performed “virtually no role.” Only the USA underneath the management of the president has delivered, from Venezuela to Gaza to Ukraine, the place persons are at the least sitting on the desk and negotiating (even when Rubio later admits that they do not know whether or not the Russians have been critical).

But Rubio spared the Europeans Vance’s sturdy criticism of the alleged restrictions on freedom of expression – Merz had additionally objected to this the day earlier than. Instead, the Foreign Minister repeatedly returns to Europe’s wealthy historical past, from which his nation additionally emerged. He even talks about German farmers who formed agriculture in America. And from German beer. Many sentences of connection. “We want to do this together with them,” says Rubio, and desires a Europe that’s happy with its historical past, that is ready to defend itself and “has the will to survive itself.” Then there’s the standing applause.