Praise for Mozart and Shakespeare, but also for Columbus: Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference.Image: keystone
analysis
Hard on the matter, gentle on the tone, that’s how one could summarize the speech that the American Secretary of State gave at the Munich Security Conference. What is more surprising than his speech is how it was received by the audience.
Feb 14, 2026, 10:44Feb 14, 2026, 10:44
Hansjörg Friedrich Müller, Berlin / ch media
The extent to which Donald Trump and his government have intimidated Europeans was shown on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference (MSC). MSC chairman Wolfgang Ischinger spoke of a “sigh of relief” that went through the ranks after American Foreign Minister Marco Rubio finished his speech. After Vice President JD Vance had almost formulated a declaration of war on the Europeans at the same location a year ago, there now seemed to be relief among the listeners.
It was a kind of socially acceptable Trumpism that Rubio formulated: friendly in tone but tough in substance.
At times his speech seemed as if he was saying goodbye: After the end of the Second World War, Europeans and Americans formed a “historic alliance” that protected and changed the world. Then the wall that separated Europe fell.
In the West, people then indulged in illusions of an “end of history”: others would have benefited from the free trade that was propagated, while de-industrialization had set in in America and Europe. While the West gave in to the “climate cult,” its enemies continued to unabashedly use oil and gas. And by opening their gates to mass migration, Europeans and Americans would have done themselves serious harm.
As he emphasized his country’s European roots, Rubio seemed as if he valued Europe’s culture and history more than Europeans themselves do: He praised not only Mozart, Beethoven, Shakespeare and Dante, but also Columbus, who brought Christianity to the New World. The self-criticism that shapes the view of history of European elites (and some Americans) seems alien to him.
America, Rubio continued, wants to revive the Western alliance, but to do so it needs strong allies who can defend themselves. National borders must be protected again and the West must finally become “master of its supply chains” again.
There was actually nothing surprising about the American’s speech. What was more surprising was how it was received by his listeners at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. Occasionally there was even applause, for example when he said that the USA would not turn away from Europe.
Perhaps the relief that Ischinger and others spoke of afterwards was based on an illusion. Rubio’s speech could be summarized as follows: After Europeans and Americans have come a long way together, the Europeans are now about to take a wrong turn. From Rubio’s perspective, the West is still alive, but if the Europeans don’t quickly change their minds, the Americans will continue on their own path.
It may sound paradoxical, but Vance’s philippines may have been more beneficial to transatlantic relations than Rubio’s comparatively gentle speech: Europeans seem to be happy with any reason to lull themselves into a false sense of security; This paralyzes their ability to act. However, Rubio cannot be blamed for not making his (and Trump’s) position clear; the problem lies with his European listeners. (aargauerzeitung.ch)