Heirs to Plunder

"Rubio came this year to make nice, and he called for renewed diplomacy between the U.S. and Europe by appealing to the "sacred inheritance" they supposedly share - "the deepest of bonds," as he put it, "forged by centuries of shared history, Christian faith, culture, heritage." In the wake of President Trump's retreat from NATO and the Paris Agreement, this "reassuring" posture, as conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger characterized it, earned Rubio a standing ovation."

"But there was a catch - "mistakes" needed to be rectified first, Rubio said: "In a pursuit of a world without borders, we opened our doors to an unprecedented wave of mass migration that threatens the cohesion of our societies, the continuity of our culture, and the future of our people." At the same time, he went on, countries across Europe "invested in massive welfare states at the cost of maintaining the ability to defend themselves" and now rely on the U.S. to deter threats posed by nuclear powers like Russia."

A U.S. political figure sought to reassure European leaders by invoking a shared Christian heritage and common historical bonds to promote renewed diplomacy. The outreach followed prior confrontational rhetoric that had strained transatlantic ties. The figure argued that mass migration threatens social cohesion, cultural continuity, and demographic futures. The figure also argued that large welfare states have weakened European military readiness and increased dependence on U.S. deterrence against nuclear threats such as Russia. The figure framed these developments as mistakes requiring rectification and proposed policy shifts to strengthen societal cohesion and defense capabilities.

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