In his address to the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after the end of the Cold War, the West had embarked upon a “dangerous delusion,” thereby weakening its economic, cultural, and political foundations. He also spoke of the “shared Christian faith,” and called the U.S. “a child of Europe.”
During the Cold War the West knew what it was fighting for, and against. After 1989, Rubio said, faith in the flawed notion that trade and international rules could replace national interests began to predominate. This led to the deindustrialization of Western nations, to the benefit of other countries.
Rubio was particularly outspoken on migration. Opposition to the opening of Western borders to waves of mass migration is not a fringe issue, but a transformative crisis that jeopardizes the survival of Western culture and the future of our peoples. Under President Donald Trump, he said, the U.S. is prepared, if necessary, to pursue renewal on its own. Washington wants to take this path together with Europe, however, because we belong to a shared Western civilization, bound by history, culture, and Christian heritage.
National security, Rubio said, is not only a matter of defense spending, but more importantly of what is defended. Armed forces protect nations and a way of life. The West should reaffirm its commitment to its cultural heritage to secure its political and economic future.
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