Marco Rubio to call for the West to return to civilizational roots, restore founding democratic values
By
asserted
West → call → values
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to call for the nations of the West to return to their civilizational roots and restore the values that drove the rise of Europe and North America to global dominance for centuries.
asserted
that → set → centuries
In Athens to discuss deepening economic, energy and security cooperation with Greece, Rubio will deliver a speech later Wednesday overlooking the ruins of the Acropolis, a widely recognizable symbol of the city’s ancient civilization associated with the creation of popular participatory government and the social contract.
asserted
Rubio → discuss → government
Rubio intends to remind listeners of qualities he says were born in Greece and later defined the West, such as curiosity, courage, ambition and a restless spirit of exploration and discovery of the unknown.
asserted
he → intend → unknown
“It has become fashionable today to believe that enlightened foreign policy means prioritizing the ‘global community’ over one’s own people.
asserted
policy → become → people
Here, too, we have much more to learn from the men of Ancient Greece.
asserted
we → have → Greece
They knew that there was nothing selfish or wrong about loyalty to your nation, nor in fighting to defend its interests above all else,” Rubio plans to say in the speech, excerpts of which were distributed by the State Department.
asserted
excerpts → know → Department
“Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads,” he will say, according to the excerpts.
uncertain
he → find → excerpts
“The next decade will write the story of the next century.
asserted
decade → write → century
The course we take will determine whether the West maintains its place at the head of the world, or resigns itself to a future of atrophy, servitude, and decline.
asserted
West → take → atrophy
We will either choose to act now or lose the choice to act at all.”
Rubio will urge Europe to uphold its traditional values
Rubio is seen by many as the gentle face of the Trump administration and has been frequently dispatched to clarify or otherwise address concerns about the president’s frequently undiplomatic statements.
asserted
Rubio → choose → statements
In some quarters, however, Rubio’s Athens speech may be seen as a follow-on to the blistering address Vice President JD Vance gave at last year’s Munich Security Conference, in which he excoriated Europeans for allowing unchecked immigration and accused them of overreliance on America and inattention to their own security.
uncertain
he → see → security
Vance and Rubio are the leading contenders to assume Trump’s mantle at the top of the Republican Party, which faces stiff challenges in next month’s congressional midterm elections.
asserted
which → lead → elections
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused countries in Europe of backsliding on their traditional values and democratic principles by stifling the free speech of conservatives and falling short on commitments to international partners like the United States.
asserted
administration → accuse → States
Many of those countries have rejected the complaints and accused the US under Trump of being guilty of similar behavior and worse with its staunch anti-immigration stance that some believe is racist.
asserted
some → reject → stance
Left-wing groups protest across Greece
asserted
groups → protest → Greece
Ahead of his visit to Athens, about 1,500 people gathered to protest Rubio’s presence and the war in Iran, chanting “American killers!”
asserted
people → gather → killers
The demonstration was organized by a communist labor union and other left-wing groups and was held ahead of extensive road closures planned in Athens on Wednesday.
asserted
demonstration → organize → Wednesday
Organizers said similar protests were held in at least 12 other Greek cities.
asserted
protests → say → cities
Public demonstrations were banned by the police in central Athens Wednesday.
asserted
demonstrations → ban → Athens
Rubio seeks to reassure NATO allies
Rubio is on the second leg of a three-nation tour of NATO allies that has already taken him to Iceland and will end in Portugal on Thursday.
asserted
that → seek → Thursday
The trip is aimed at reassuring US partners that the Trump administration is committed to their success and security despite what has been an often brusque and sometimes rude approach to traditional friends that has stirred unease.
asserted
that → aim → unease
Rubio began emphasizing historical themes on Thursday, when he met Iceland’s foreign minister at the site of the landmark 1986 summit between former President Ronald Reagan and then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a meeting that many believe marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War and was a catalyst for the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union.
asserted
many → begin → Union
It remains unclear what impact Rubio’s visits will have, although on Tuesday in Reykjavik, he sought to reassure Iceland that President Donald Trump’s administration has no designs on the island.
uncertain
administration → remain → island
Rather, he said the US shares Iceland’s deep concerns about Arctic security as tensions between the US and Russia rise in the High North and elsewhere.
asserted
tensions → say → North
Start your day with all you need to know
Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.
asserted
Report → start → news
Iceland has been uneasy about Trump’s intentions toward it after he posted a map showing the colors of the US flag sprawling across all of North America and extending to Iceland and Greenland.
asserted
he → post → Iceland
That wariness has persisted despite an agreement last month to increase the US presence in the neighboring Danish territory of Greenland that appears to have ended Trump’s demands for the US to take full control of the island.
But after Rubio’s talks in Reykjavik, those tensions appeared to be on the wane.
asserted
tensions → persist → wane
Rubio said the United States would not do anything in Iceland without Iceland’s consent.
asserted
States → say → consent
Visit follows allegations of misconduct by US ambassador
asserted
Visit → follow → ambassador
Before delivering his speech in Athens, Rubio declined to comment when he was asked about allegations of misconduct leveled at US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.
asserted
he → deliver → Guilfoyle
At a joint news conference with the Greek foreign minister, Rubio said he would not address the matter while visiting a foreign country, but added: “Suffice it to say our embassy here is doing a great job.
asserted
embassy → say → job
The top Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Gregory Meeks, have initiated probes into claims reported last month by the Wall Street Journal that Guilfoyle acted improperly while serving as the top US envoy to Greece.
uncertain
Guilfoyle → initiate → Greece
The Journal reported that Guilfoyle told guests at a reception that the US could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.
uncertain
it → report → meetings
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr., has denied any wrongdoing, and Rubio has defended her before.
asserted
Rubio → engage → her
The Aporia
