Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the relationship between the US and Europe as “civilized” and urged European countries to work with the US to build a “new century for the West”.
“We are part of one civilization, Western civilization,” he said.
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His rally speech came more than a year after President Donald Trump’s comments on mass immigration and his administration’s latest national security strategy, which warns of the “annihilation of civilization” in Europe.
Last year, US Vice President J.D. Vance also slammed Europe’s “liberal values” in his first speech to the Security Council.
As European leaders grapple with the rise of far-right parties, how will they respond to this new demand from the United States, and what does it mean for the future of transatlantic relations?
What did Rubio say?
The top U.S. diplomat highlighted several key areas that he believes are essential for Europe to address, including ending “liberal” policies that the Trump administration sees as responsible for Europe’s “postwar decline,” building new supply chains to reduce dependence on countries such as China, and ending mass immigration that is leading to the disappearance of Western “civilization.”
“The efforts of this new alliance should not just focus on military cooperation and restoring the industries of the past. They should also focus on unshackling the ingenuity, creativity, and dynamic spirit to build the West’s new century, and moving our countries forward together to mutual benefit and new frontiers,” Rubio said.
liberalism and mass immigration
Rubio argued that the “euphoria” of the West’s victory in the Cold War has given rise to “a dangerous delusion that we have entered the ‘end of history'” where all countries become liberal democracies and “we live in a world without borders, where everyone is a citizen of the world.”
He used this as a platform to oppose opening “the door to an unprecedented wave of mass immigration that threatens social cohesion, cultural continuity and the future of our people.”
“Mass migration is not, and has never been, a fringe concern with no major consequences. It is, and continues to be, a crisis that is transforming and destabilizing societies across the Western world,” he said.
Taking aim at liberalist policies, he added: “To appease the climate cult, we have imposed energy policies on ourselves that are impoverishing our people.”
new supply chain
Rubio said the United States and its allies should bring more industry and jobs home, not just for weapons production, but to lead in new high-tech fields.
He added that Western countries should take control of key minerals and supply chains, invest in space travel and artificial intelligence, and work together to capture markets in the Global South.
In particular, he said, there is a need for “Western supply chains for critical minerals that are less susceptible to extortion from other countries.”
Earlier this month, President Trump convened a critical minerals conference in Washington, inviting ministers from dozens of countries. The conference was the first meeting of the new Critical Minerals Ministerial Council, a U.S. effort to build alliances aimed at countering China’s dominance of critical mineral supply chains around the world.
What does “the new Western century” mean?
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible State Strategy, a think tank, said that while the overarching message of Rubio’s speech was that the United States is still seeking a partnership with Europe, his remarks “made clear that the United States sets the terms of that partnership across the board and that it is based on ideas that Europe has long abandoned: an embrace of empire and colonization.”
Parsi told Al Jazeera that Rubio’s comments at the conference suggested that the United States under the Trump administration wants Europe to accept “a civilizational division of the world in which the ‘West’ has to restore its dominance over other civilizations.”
“Essentially, Mr. Rubio has enumerated criteria for how Europe can be a well-behaved vassal of the United States.”
How did European leaders react to Rubio’s speech?
European leaders appeared to welcome Rubio’s speech at the conference. A standing ovation followed. But while he praised his calls for stronger ties with the United States, he did not specifically address his comments on immigration or liberal values.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference: “I know some in the (Trump) administration have been harsh on these issues. But the Secretary of State was very clear: ‘We want a Europe that is strong in the alliance.’ This is what we are focused on in the European Union.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault responded to Rubio’s speech by saying, “References to[our]common heritage can only be welcomed with applause in Europe.”
“We will achieve a strong and independent Europe,” he said. “Of course, no matter how correct the speeches we hear at the Munich Security Conference are, they are irrelevant.”
German Foreign Minister John Waddepoul, who called Mr. Rubio a “true partner,” said: “The message from Secretary Rubio was very clear: we must… maintain and adhere to an international rules-based order. The first line, of course, is the United Nations. This is our peace commission. As Mr. Rubio said this morning, we have to make it more effective.”
Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said she was “very satisfied with the tone and content” of Rubio’s speech.
What does this mean for Europe?
European leaders have been facing dilemmas for some time, particularly around immigration and defence, for a variety of reasons. The mass migration crisis sparked by violence in other parts of the world has already caused a surge in the popularity of far-right parties. The Trump administration has now expressed support for many of these parties and is calling for stronger action from Europe on immigration and defense.
Therefore, many European leaders have already started taking action in these areas.
For example, most countries in Europe are already working to strengthen their defense and crack down on immigration.
Britain last year announced plans for a major increase in defense spending ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Trump early last year, amid concerns that the United States would withdraw aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Notably, Mr. Rubio was absent from a meeting on Ukraine with European leaders at the Munich conference.
Many countries are also tightening immigration controls. Denmark is ushering in increasingly restrictive policies in its immigration and asylum system, with top leaders aiming for “zero asylum seekers” arriving in the country. Recently, the UK also announced that it was studying Denmark’s model.
Europe is also working to make its energy and technology supply chains more sovereign and less dependent on foreign suppliers, especially in the face of a trade war in which President Trump has imposed reciprocal trade tariffs on many countries around the world.
Many European leaders are under increasing pressure from the growing popularity of far-right parties calling for tighter immigration restrictions.
In recent years, far-right, anti-immigration sentiment has been on the rise in countries such as Britain, the Netherlands and France. The far-right Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, won the 2023 Dutch general election. France’s National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, won a snap election in 2024. In that year’s general election, Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform Britain party made a huge leap forward, and last year’s YouGov poll showed it as Britain’s most popular party.
In addition to this, ideas once on the fringes of the far right, such as immigration, the concept of forcibly expelling Europe’s non-white citizens, are gaining traction among far-right conservatives in Europe. The idea is being promoted by Austria’s far-right anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPO) leader Herbert Kickle and Germany’s AfD leader Alice Weidel.
Trump has embraced the rise of far-right politics as some European leaders prepare to resist the rise of far-right politics, including placating it with new, more restrictive immigration policies.
What does this mean for U.S.-Europe relations?
All of this ultimately means “Europe has a choice,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible States think tank. “We can pursue strategic autonomy, seek great power balance, and in doing so seek a dignified partnership with the United States that does not yield to vassal status.”
“[Or]Europe can continue on its current path of slowly but surely becoming completely subservient to Washington’s interests, priorities, impulses and ideas about a civilized empire,” he told Al Jazeera.
Parsi pointed out that the standing ovation at the conference after Rubio’s speech was simply an offer to remain a partner with Europe.
“It remains to be seen whether they ignored Mr. Rubio’s conditions, did not understand them, or simply decided it was not important because Europe wants to be a junior partner of the United States regardless of the conditions,” he said.
Meanwhile, European leaders at the Munich Security Conference seemed to place the highest priority on restoring U.S.-Europe relations above all else.
In a speech at Friday’s conference, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on the United States and Europe to “work together to mend and restore transatlantic trust.” “Let’s start with the unpleasant truth: There is a rift, a deep chasm, between Europe and the United States,” he said.
“Vice President J.D. Vance said this a year ago here in Munich, and he was right,” Merz said, calling for a “new transatlantic partnership.”
