Elizabeth Spalding Critiques Marco Rubio's Defense of the West

Last month in Athens, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a high-profile speech celebrating the historical legacy of “the West.” In an essay for Providence, Elizabeth Spalding examines the rhetorical case study, questioning whether bundling millennia of history under a vague cultural banner risks sliding into a dangerous chauvinism.

What Did Rubio Argue in Athens?

Addressing an audience in Greece last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the free world against the rising tide of global authoritarianism. Providence reported that Rubio called on nations to rearm, compete aggressively, and reject internal wallowing.

Throughout the address, he used variants of the term “Western” 19 times to praise Greek heritage and the broader legacy of Western civilization. He spoke of the greatness of “the Western mind” and “the Western moral imagination” and “the heroes of the West,” while worrying “whether the West maintains its place at the head of the world.”

Marco Rubio Delivers Speech About Threats Facing 'The West' In Athens, Greece — Forbes Breaking News

Rubio specifically lauded the historical appetite for thrill, glory, and perpetual struggle among Western figures. He praised Westerners for their love of “thrill and glory,” for the legacy of “great men” who loved “to test and prove themselves” through “perpetual struggle.”

He praised “the empire of Christendom.” “The thumos, as the ancient Greeks called it – the fire of passion, strength, courage, pride – is the heart of great civilization,” Rubio said, according to the essay in Providence.

Why Does the Essay Reject “The West”?

In her response for Providence, Elizabeth Spalding argues that framing political ideals around a specific geographic culture risks missing what makes those principles valuable in the first place. When Rubio said that universal assumptions about Western ideals do not apply to all people everywhere, he fundamentally misunderstood the thinkers who established them. European and American philosophers believed they were unearthing eternal, universal truths rather than merely drafting local customs.

Secretary Rubio's recent speech at the Acropolis should lead to renewed consideration of not just the means but also the ends of statecraft are in the tradition of Christian realism, writes Elizabeth Edwards Spalding pic.twitter.com/RVtE0ghqIz

— Post by @ProvMagazine on X

Defending a culture regardless of its content mirrors dangerous forms of nationalism, according to the analysis. Western history includes dark chapters like Auschwitz, Solovki, Torquemada, Hitler, Marx, and Mussolini. Lumping these atrocities together with enlightenment ideals under a vast banner creates logical traps. As Spalding noted, dismissing dictators by arguing they do not fit a personal definition of the West simply wanders straight into the no-true-scotsman fallacy.

There is no intrinsic virtue in thumos, only in what it defends. There is no virtue in “Western civilization” per se, only in the best parts of its legacy, Elizabeth Spalding wrote in Providence.

Where Do Universal Ideals Belong?

True political liberty and human dignity belong to no single nation or culture. Democracies from Japan to Botswana actively demonstrate that foundational rights resonate universally. Spalding emphasizes personal loyalty first to the Kingdom of God and second to the United States, rather than caring whether the West maintains global dominance.

Rubio listed admirable traits like fierce ambition, daring exploration, and an insatiable curiosity about the cosmos. Yet these traits are hardly exclusive to European heritage. Medieval Arabic scientists pursued mathematical mysteries with equal vigor, while contemporary researchers across Asia drive massive technological leaps.