MUNICH — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a stark assessment of the global order on Friday, declaring that “the old world is gone” as he prepared to address the Munich Security Conference. Speaking to reporters just prior to his departure from Joint Base Andrews and reaffirming the message upon his arrival in Germany, Rubio set the tone for what is expected to be a pivotal weekend for transatlantic relations.
“The world is changing very fast right in front of us,” Rubio stated. “The old world is gone—frankly, the world that I grew up in—and we live in a new era in geopolitics. It is going to require all of us to sort of reexamine what that looks like and what our role is going to be.”
The Secretary’s comments come at a time of heightened uncertainty for America’s traditional European allies. As the 62nd Munich Security Conference convenes, attendees are grappling with the realities of the “America First” doctrine reinvigorated under the current administration. Rubio’s presence is seen as a critical test of Washington’s commitment to European security structures, following a year marked by diplomatic friction, including contentious debates over defense spending and sovereignty disputes involving Greenland.
Rubio characterized the current landscape as a “defining moment,” urging allies to move beyond nostalgic views of the post-Cold War order. He emphasized that the shifting balance of power requires a pragmatic, rather than sentimental, approach to alliances. “We’ve had many of these conversations in private with many of our allies,” Rubio noted. “We need to continue to have those conversations, and I think the meetings we’ll have there will move us in that direction.”
The Secretary’s itinerary in Munich includes high-stakes bilateral meetings. He is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who will deliver the conference’s opening address. Merz has recently called for Europe to “repair and revive” trust with Washington while simultaneously pushing for greater European strategic autonomy. Additionally, Rubio tentatively confirmed plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the conflict in Eastern Europe continues to grind on through another winter. Rubio described the situation in Ukraine as “unimaginable suffering” and reiterated that bringing the war to an end remains a priority, though he stopped short of detailing specific new aid packages.
Observers note a shift in tone compared to the previous year, when Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a fiery rebuke of European domestic policies at the same forum. Rubio’s approach appears aimed at clarifying the terms of engagement rather than simply airing grievances. However, his assertion that the “old world” has vanished serves as a clear signal that the United States expects its partners to adapt to a more transactional and burden-sharing reality.
As world leaders gather at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, the agenda is dominated by the need to recalibrate the Western alliance against the backdrop of rising competition with China and ongoing instability in the Middle East. Rubio’s declaration suggests that while the U.S. remains engaged, the terms of that engagement are being fundamentally rewritten.
