Marco Rubio misunderstands what makes the West great

In a well-written speech last week delivered against the magnificent backdrop of the Acropolis in Athens, Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the West to rediscover what makes it exceptional. He described the qualities that define Western civilization as “the fire of passion, strength, courage, pride,” and he celebrated its ambition, nationalism and relentless pursuit of excellence. He warned that the West has become ashamed of the very things that made it great.

Rubio is right that the West has sometimes lost confidence in its own traditions and ideals — and that it shouldn’t. But Rubio himself seems deeply confused about what makes the West exceptional.

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