US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would be “unapologetic” about its “pursuit of national power” at a speech in Athens, as America’s top diplomat made the case for NATO allies to build self-reliance.
“The course we take will determine whether the West maintains its place… or resigns itself to a future of atrophy and servitude and decline,” Rubio said.
His speech comes as US forces pull back from Europe and the Gulf: Washington withdrew bombers from a UK base this week, following troop evacuations from bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar.
The US’ military campaign against Iran was meant to demonstrate American power, The New York Times wrote. Instead, “the war has constrained it.”