Marco Rubio delivers Western civilization speech in Athens' ancient ruins

Key Points:

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio will deliver a speech in Greece at the Acropolis, calling for a renewal of Western civilization and urging U.S. allies to reject the decline of the West.
• Rubio's address will highlight the historical significance of ancient Greece as the foundation of Western values such as curiosity, courage, and ambition, and emphasize the need to defend this shared heritage amid great-power competition.
• During his visit, Rubio announced a new U.S.-Greece counterterrorism partnership and praised Greece's strategic role as a source of stability in an unstable world.
• Rubio's theme of Western renewal has been central to his tenure, with previous speeches, including one at the Munich Security Conference, receiving strong support from European leaders and boosting his political profile.
• He urged European allies to be proud of their culture and heritage, reject guilt and shame, and join the U.S. in revitalizing Western civilization rather than accepting its managed decline.