Europeans were relieved by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Munich speech, as it reaffirmed the Atlantic alliance. But were they really listening to what he was saying?
The initial reaction from Europeans who were in attendance at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the recent Munich Security Conference was relief. The mere fact that Rubio had reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the Atlantic alliance calmed the nerves of NATO nations. They have been rattled by President Donald Trump’s demands for America’s acquisition of Greenland from Denmark, as well as by the general tone of the administration’s attitude toward its European allies. It was also considered to be not as confrontational as the address given to the same gathering a year ago by Vice President JD Vance.
Vance frightened the Europeans because he bluntly called them out for hypocrisy about democracy. The liberal elites who run most of Western Europe like to talk about defending democratic values, especially in contrast to Russia and its invasion of Ukraine. Yet by seeking to suppress right-wing parties that have protested unfettered immigration from Africa and the Middle East, it’s clear that they don’t really believe in such values. Just look at the ensuing impact this has had on their own countries, especially with respect to the growing influence of Islamists.
This particular issue wasn’t mentioned in the secretary of state’s speech, and that gratified the cross-Atlantic foreign-policy establishment that despises the administration both men serve. While they were pleased by Rubio’s emphasis on Europe and the United States needing one another, they also chose to downplay the substance of the address. In many respects, it was similar in purpose to Vance’s more controversial speech.
