The end of the Cold War brought about the long-hoped for reunion of eastern and western Europe under the banner of freedom, but it also paved the path for a dangerous delusion to take hold, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a speech to the Munich Security Conference.
It was expected that “every nation would now be a liberal democracy. That the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood. . . .And that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world,” said Secretary Rubio.
“This was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature, and it ignored the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history,” he said.
“In this delusion, we embraced a dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade, even as some nations protected their economies and subsidized their companies, to systematically undercut ours, shuttering our plants, resulting in large parts of our societies being de-industrialized, shipping millions of working and middle-class jobs overseas, and handing control of our critical supply chains to both adversaries and rivals.”
“And in a pursuit of a world without borders, we opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people.”
“We made these mistakes together, and now together we owe it to our people to face those facts” and to rebuild, said Secretary Rubio.
“Under President [Donald] Trump, the United States of America will once again take on the task of renewal and restoration, driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign, and as vital as our civilization’s past. And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe.”
America’s roots began on the European continent, noted Secretary Rubio.
“We are part of one civilization, Western civilization. We are bound to one another by the deepest bonds that nations could share, forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage, language, ancestry, and the sacrifices our forefathers made together for the common civilization to which we have fallen heir.”
A successful alliance must begin with defending this common heritage. Then, it will become possible to “begin the work of envisioning and shaping our economic and our political future,” said Secretary Rubio.
“Together we can re-industrialize our economies and rebuild our capacity to defend our people.”
“But we must also gain control of our national borders,” which “is a fundamental act of national sovereignty.”
“And finally, we can no longer place the so-called global order above the vital interests of our people and our nations. We do not need to abandon the system of international cooperation” but it must be reformed.
“We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength,” said Secretary Rubio.
“Acting together in this way, we will not just help recover a sane foreign policy. It will restore to us a clear sense of ourselves. . . .And in so doing, it will rebuke and deter the forces of civilizational erasure that today menace both America and Europe alike.”
“We should be proud of what we achieved together in the last century,” said Secretary Rubio, “but now we must confront and embrace the opportunities of a new one.”