Episode summary
Special Coverage: A Conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Bloomberg Daybreak: US...
Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition
· · Guests: Marco Rubio, John Micklethwait
Summary
The guest argues that the United States and Europe remain tied by a shared civilization and a common strategic fate, even if the alliance has to be reshaped for a changed world. He says the goal is not to end the transatlantic relationship, but to make it more durable by pushing Europe to shoulder more of the burden and to defend its own capabilities, values, and supply chains.
He frames the argument partly through history: the Cold War showed the value of allied action, but the post-Cold War era also left the West de-industrialized and more dependent on China and others for critical inputs. On that basis, he says a western supply chain insulated from coercion would be in everyone’s interest, and that contacts with Beijing are normal so long as nations act in their own interest.
The conversation also covers Ukraine, where the guest says neither side is truly winning and that the war will ultimately require a negotiated settlement. He says Russia is taking heavy losses, Ukraine has suffered severe damage, and the United States wants to keep trying to broker talks. He also argues Cuba’s regime is failing because it lacks a real economy and has not been willing to give Cubans enough economic freedom.
Key takeaways
- The guest says Europe and the United States are bound by "the fact that we are both heirs to the same civilization" and should defend that alliance together.
- He argues the West became vulnerable after the Cold War by allowing de-industrialization and dependence on China for critical supplies.
- The guest says a western supply chain free from extortion would reduce the risk of blackmail over "something that's critical to national life."
- On Ukraine, he says "I don't think anyone can claim to be winning it" and expects any endgame to come through negotiation.
- He says it would be "geopolitical malpractice" not to talk to China, even amid deep disagreements.
- He argues Cuba's core problem is that "it has no economy" and that the regime fears giving people economic freedom.
Notable quotes
“we are both heirs to the same civilization. And it's a great civilization, and it's one we should be proud of”
“our own fate will be intertwined with what happens with Europe. We want Europe to survive. We want Europe to prosper”
“I think that's a difficult war to say anyone is winning”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts radio news. Welcome to special coverage from the Munich Security Conference. I'm Francine Lacqua. Now, Marco Rubio, of course, the US Secretary of State has reassured European partners that the end of the transatlantic alliance is neither a goal or a wish. He speaks with our editor-inchief, John Mikose.
Thank you, Francine. Um, Mario Rubio, Secretary of State, thank you for talking to Bloomberg. You've just made this rather remarkable speech where you talked about the destiny of Europe and America always being intertwined.
You talked about an alliance which has stretched all the way culturally from Michelangelo to the Rolling Stones, a first, I suspect, for a Secretary of State. Um, but a culture that has bled and died together. But the very common theme of your speech was the need to share the burden, the need for Europe and America to do to to do things together which was slightly different from the vice president last year.
Were you kind of offering a carrot where perhaps he was offering a a stick?
I think it's the same message. I think what the vice president said last year very clearly was that Europe had made a series of decisions internally that were threatening to the alliance and ultimately to themselves. Not because we hate Europe or we don't like Europeans, but because what is it that we fight for?
What is it that binds us together? And ultimately, it's the fact that we are both heirs to the same civilization. And it's a great civilization, and it's one we should be proud of.
It's one that's contributed extraordinarily to the world. And it's one, frankly, upon which America is built. From our language to our system of government, to our laws, uh to the food we eat, to the name of our cities and towns, all of it deeply linked to this western civilization and culture that we should be proud of and it's worth defending.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- us europe alliance
- munich security conference
- western values
- independence from washington
- defense cooperation
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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