Secretary of State Marco Rubio used the birthplace of democracy Wednesday to argue that Western nations weakened themselves by becoming ashamed of nationalism, surrendering sovereignty, and allowing borders, industry, and military strength to erode.
Speaking October 7 from the Pnyx in Athens, the hillside where ancient Athenians gathered for their democratic assembly, Rubio tied national loyalty to ideals of duty, sacrifice, and civic courage that shaped ancient Greece and later Western civilization. The Pnyx, opposite the Acropolis, served as the meeting place of the Athenian assembly and is closely associated with the development of direct democracy in ancient Athens.
“‘Nationalism’ became a dirty word,” Rubio said in remarks the State Department shared from the address. “So we tore down our monuments, we condemned our own history, and in too many places, we taught our children to be ashamed of the countries they would inherit.”
“In the process we opened our borders, and outsourced our industry, and allowed our militaries to wither and to decay,” he added.
SECRETARY RUBIO: “Nationalism” became a dirty word. So we tore down our monuments, we condemned our own history, and in too many places we taught our children to be ashamed of the countries they would inherit. In the process we opened our borders, and outsourced our industry, and… pic.twitter.com/KLjQDimfNc
— Department of State (@StateDept) October 7, 2026
‘Nothing Selfish’ About Loyalty to One’s Nation
Rubio rejected the idea that prioritizing national interests is inherently selfish.
“It has become fashionable today to believe that enlightened foreign policy means prioritizing the ‘global community’ over one’s own people,” Rubio said in prepared remarks Reuters obtained.
The ancient Greeks, he said, “knew that there was nothing selfish or wrong about loyalty to your nation, nor in fighting to defend its interests above all else.”
Rubio also criticized the transfer of authority from national governments to international institutions.
“And with every passing year, we seemed to outsource more of our sovereignty, transferring our decisions to global bureaucracies far beyond the reach of our control,” he said.
Rubio Warns of ‘Atrophy, Servitude, and Decline’
Rubio framed the coming decade as consequential for Western power.
“Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads. The next decade will write the story of the next century,” he said. “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.”
Under President Donald Trump, Rubio said, the United States has made its choice.
“We choose the unapologetic pursuit of national power,” he said.
Rubio defined that pursuit as taking back control of critical supply chains, reindustrializing the economy, rebuilding defense, and competing for dominance in technologies and industries of the future.
“There is new competition between great powers again,” Rubio said, according to AFP. “There is vulnerability, aggression, terrorism, a whole universe of new threats and attacks again.”
He added that Western nations “must rebuild our institutions and our alliances to face these threats together.”
Rubio also pointed to signs of change in Europe, citing increased defense spending, expanded manufacturing, and new partnerships.
“We believe that Europe can awaken from its long slumber and rekindle the fire that was lit here millennia ago,” he said.
U.S., Greece Expand Counterterrorism Cooperation
The address came during Rubio’s visit to Greece as part of a European trip that also included Iceland and Portugal.
Earlier Wednesday, during a joint appearance with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Rubio called Greece a “strong and model NATO ally.”
Rubio also announced a memorandum of understanding establishing a joint program to strengthen counterterrorism information-sharing between U.S. and Greek law-enforcement agencies.
“As part of our efforts to combat these common threats to our nations, we’re proud to announce a new memorandum of understanding establishing a joint security program to strengthen the counterterrorism information sharing between our respective law enforcement agencies,” Rubio said.
He also characterized Greece as a “source of stability in an unstable world,” Fox News quoted him as saying during the visit.
Faith, Sacrifice, and Western Civilization
Rubio also connected Christianity to the Western tradition he was describing.
In excerpts from the Athens address, he said the ancient world helped shape “the Western moral imagination,” citing examples of sacrifice extending from Christian martyrs to American history.
He referenced “the Christian martyr who refused to betray his faith,” “the patriot who gave his life for his country,” Saint Thomas More, the Battle of the Alamo, and the closing words of the Declaration of Independence: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Rubio also contrasted Western ideals of heroism with extremist movements that glorify death.
“Our heroes do not worship death,” he said while criticizing radical Iranian clerics and their glorification of suicide bombers.
The language echoed themes Rubio raised earlier this year at the Munich Security Conference.
“We are part of one civilization — Western civilization,” Rubio said in February. “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.”
Debate Over Faith and National Identity Reaches Texas
Rubio’s emphasis on faith, national identity, and Western civilization comes during continuing debate in Texas over Christianity’s role in public life.
The Dallas Express covered the President’s Religious Liberty Commission when it met at Dallas’ Old Parkland complex in December 2025.
First Baptist Dallas Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress told The Dallas Express that religious liberty “is not just another issue. It is the issue.”
“Our founders mentioned it in the 1st Amendment as the first freedom,” Jeffress said.
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare also told The Dallas Express that the commission was needed because of what he described as decades of government actions compromising Christian religious liberty.
The Dallas Express later covered a July 2026 Christian rally in downtown Dallas where hundreds of participants carried American flags and “Jesus Saves” signs.
British pastor Rikki Doolan shared footage of the gathering and wrote, “USA is a Christian country.”
That article cited Pew Research Center data showing 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian, compared with 67% in Texas.
Rubio’s Athens remarks did not call for an established religion or address domestic church-state policy. His speech centered on national sovereignty, Western identity, military and economic strength, and confidence in the historical foundations of Western civilization.
Standing at the Pnyx, Rubio cast the coming decade as a choice between renewed Western strength and what he described as “atrophy, servitude, and decline.”
