Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Western world has reached a decisive “inflection point,” calling on European countries to stand alongside the United States in facing what he described as “the threats of our age” during a major address in Athens on Wednesday.
In a speech rich with references to ancient Greece and American history, Rubio urged Europe to “awaken from its long slumber” and reignite the spirit that took root in the region thousands of years ago. Invoking figures and events ranging from Achilles to the Alamo, he framed the alliance as a defense of national sovereignty and shared Western values.
With the Acropolis illuminated behind him as the sun went down, Rubio warned that the West faces a historic crossroads. “We are at an inflection point — not just in the history of my country, but in the story of our entire civilization,” he said. “The dangers confronting us today are every bit as real as those that appeared on the dramatic stage of antiquity.”
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Rubio also praised the achievements of the civilizations that emerged from the land surrounding Athens. “We should stand in awe of what our forefathers built in this countryside,” he said, describing Western civilization as “the greatest story ever known to man” and tracing its origins to the earliest men and women of the West.
By looking back to those foundations, Rubio argued, modern societies can recover the qualities needed to meet today’s challenges. “From them, we can rediscover the virtues,” he said, including “the courage and the strength” required to confront the dangers of the present day.