From the Acropolis, Rubio calls on Europe to emerge from ‘slumber’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday flexed American power and called on Europe to shake off its "long slumber" in a speech delivered beneath the Acropolis in Athens.

"We believe that Europe can awaken from its long slumber and rekindle the fire that was lit here millennia ago," Rubio said in a speech attended by senior Greek officials at Pnyx hill, praising ancient Greece's civilisation as the cradle of Western democracy.

"Across this continent, we are witnessing what we hope will be the beginning of a generational shift, skyrocketing defense spending, a flurry of new partnerships and programs, expanded manufacturing and production, following on the historic defense commitments" made last year at the NATO summit in The Hague, he noted.

But Rubio also warned that that Western civilisation now finds itself "at a crossroads" between "national power" and decline.

The ancient Greeks "understood that power requires not only having the means to defend yourself, it requires the credibility that you are willing to use it," he said.

"This is the classical understanding of politics and of statecraft that the Trump administration hopes to reclaim... not just for our country, but for the whole of our civilisation," said the former senator, who is seen as a possible successor to Donald Trump.

'National power'

"Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads. The next decade will write the story of the next century. 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," Rubio said.

The United States under President Donald Trump has made its choice, according to Rubio.

"We choose the unapologetic pursuit of national power: to take back control of our critical supply chains, to reindustrialise our economy, to rebuild our defence, to fight for dominance of the technologies and industries of the future," he said.

His speech was packed with historical references and glorified heroes of antiquity such as Alexander the Great but also the conquistador Hernán Cortés. Rubio's visit sparked protests in Athens.

It followed an address in February when Rubio argued that Europe was threatened by mass immigration and called for it to defend Christian civilisation.

Earlier Wednesday, Rubio, who arrived from Iceland as part of a European tour, underlined the "critical" US alliance with Greece.

He flagged the energy sector, and announced a joint agreement on information-sharing on drug trafficking and terrorism.

Rubio took part Wednesday in a "strategic dialogue" with Greece on regional and energy security amid high tensions triggered by the wars in Iran and Ukraine, and was later hosted by conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Because of its location in the Mediterranean, at the crossroads of many of transit routes, Greece is particularly exposed to the threats posed by migration, human trafficking and various forms of terror, Rubio said.

The wars in Iran and Ukraine have highlighted the fragility of energy supply routes, and Greece is positioning itself to become a key hub in southeastern Europe, particularly for the transport of natural gas.

Recently opened gas pipelines and port infrastructure have enabled Greece to contribute to the energy corridor through eastern Europe to Ukraine.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)