U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Greece as a model ally during his speech at the Pnyx in Athens on Wednesday. During his October 7, 2026, address, he urged Europe to follow Greece’s example. He also called for closer and more effective transatlantic cooperation.
With the Acropolis behind him, Rubio highlighted Greece’s cooperation with Washington on defense, energy and migration. However, he acknowledged that tensions sometimes strain relations between the United States and Europe. He nevertheless argued that both sides needed their alliance to confront today’s shared challenges.
The Pnyx once hosted ancient Athens’ democratic assembly, giving Rubio’s appeal a setting closely associated with the history of democracy. Against that backdrop, he connected Western renewal with the shared inheritance of Americans and Europeans. His message also addressed renewed competition among major world powers.
The historical sanctuary of global Democracy: The legacy of the Pnyx
Situated less than a mile west of the Acropolis, the Pnyx holds an unparalleled position in world history as the literal birthplace of direct democracy. Beginning in the late 6th century BCE following the foundational reforms of Cleisthenes, this rocky hillside served as the official meeting grounds for the Ekklesia—the popular assembly of ancient Athens. Derived from the Greek word for “tightly packed together”, the Pnyx was an open-air theater of civic power where thousands of ordinary citizens gathered roughly forty times a year to debate laws, vote on foreign policy, and hold their leaders accountable.
It was from the site’s famous stone bema (the orator’s podium) that monumental historical figures like Pericles, Aristides, and Demosthenes delivered the speeches that shaped Western civilization. Grounded in the revolutionary principles of isēgoría (the equal right to speak) and isonomía (equality before the law), the Pnyx stands today not merely as an archaeological site, but as Greece’s eternal monument to the power of human liberty and collective self-governance.
However, the historical importance of the Pnyx for the Greek nation extends far beyond antiquity. In October 1838, this deeply symbolic site connected ancient heritage with the dawn of modern Greece when Theodoros Kolokotronis, the legendary commander-in-chief of the Greek War of Independence, delivered a deeply revolutionary and historic speech to the youth of Athens.
Standing on the very same rock where ancient orators once stood, the Kolokotronis delivered a powerful spiritual testament to the new generation. He linked the glory of ancient Greece with the sacrifices of the 1821 revolution, famously urging the students to dedicate themselves to their education and safeguard national unity and faith as the pillars of the newly established Greek state.
Rubio praises Greece in his speech as an example for Europe
Earlier, Rubio joined Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis for discussions during the sixth Strategic Dialogue in Athens. He urged European countries to take greater responsibility for their defense, according to Spanish news agency EFE. In particular, he presented Greece as an example of the commitment Washington expects from European allies.
Meanwhile, the discussions covered counterterrorism information-sharing, technology cooperation and regional energy security. Rubio also backed increased imports of American liquefied natural gas and new gas and electricity connections. Together, those projects would strengthen Greece’s role in regional energy security.
Moreover, Greece’s expanding gas infrastructure gives the partnership a wider European dimension. AFP reported that pipelines and port facilities support a corridor extending through eastern Europe to Ukraine. That network supports Greece’s regional ambitions.
America’s debt to Ancient Greece
Beyond current policy, Rubio explored the intellectual and political inheritance linking the United States with ancient Greece. He described antiquity’s influence on America’s founders and the architecture of its public institutions. For him, those connections demonstrated an enduring debt to Greek civilization.
He credited Athens with the democratic tradition and invoked Plato and Aristotle when discussing Greek contributions to Western political thought. Furthermore, he argued that this inheritance extended beyond political institutions. Curiosity, individuality and the pursuit of knowledge, he said, reflected qualities that should still guide the West.
Moreover, Rubio singled out Plutarch, the ancient Greek biographer of great figures from Greece and Rome. He said the Federalist Papers cited Plutarch more frequently than any other author. That distinction, he noted, belonged to neither an Enlightenment philosopher nor a political theorist.
Rather than simply celebrating antiquity, Rubio in his speech used ancient Greece to advance a contemporary argument about national ambition. He defended loyalty to one’s country and the pursuit of its interests. The State Department’s advance excerpts outlined these themes, linking his historical references with the administration’s approach to modern foreign policy.
Rubio’s warning about the West’s future during his speech in Greece
Looking ahead, Rubio presented the coming decade as decisive for the West’s international standing. AFP reported that his prepared remarks warned against accepting decline and urged governments to act. He linked that choice to stronger industries, technological innovation and national power.
“The next decade will write the story of the next century,” his advance remarks stated, AP reported.
Finally, Rubio’s prepared remarks during his speech in Greece called for rebuilding American industry, strengthening defense and regaining control over critical supply chains. He presented those priorities as part of Washington’s response to international competition, alongside ambitions for leadership in future technological industries.
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