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Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s trip to the Munich Security Conference this week wasn’t a photo-op — it was a warning shot to Europe that America’s patience for carrying the world’s security bill is not infinite. With diplomats, defense ministers, and heads of state converging in Munich, the message from the U.S. delegation is clear: the geopolitical era has shifted and so must how we cooperate.
European leaders are finally saying out loud what patriots in Washington have long known: Europe cannot assume American protection forever. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz bluntly told the conference that in an age of great-power rivalry even the United States cannot go it alone, and that Europeans must rebuild their own defensive muscle. That’s a sober assessment of reality, not defeatism — and it’s a demand Europe should meet rather than resent.
On Newsmax’s American Agenda, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands echoed that straightforward logic, insisting Europe must step up and stop relying on Washington to subsidize its security. Her comments strike at the heart of a simple truth: allies who expect American troops, money, and credibility as a matter of course invite strategic drift and political complacency. News outlets covering the U.S. delegation in Munich made clear Rubio was representing a U.S. policy pivot toward prioritizing American interests while still asking for responsible burden-sharing.
Conservatives who love this country should welcome a firmer U.S. posture that demands reciprocity: we defend our homeland first and expect partners not to freeload on our deterrence. For decades the United States has underwritten European security at enormous cost while many NATO capitals underinvested; that imbalance helped create the very vulnerability Europe now frets about. It is not only reasonable but necessary to require allies to meet their obligations or to recalibrate our commitments accordingly.
Marco Rubio’s line that “the old world is gone” and that America must re-examine its role isn’t isolationism — it’s realism dressed in patriotism. We can and should cooperate with friends on Ukraine, China, and energetic supply-chain resilience, but cooperation must be rooted in shared sacrifice and clear-eyed American interest. If Europe truly values freedom and prosperity, it will answer the call with spending, industry, and an unwavering will to defend its own shores.
Hardworking Americans don’t begrudge allies doing the right thing — we expect it. Let Europe build credible armed forces, secure its energy, and stop treating U.S. power like an open-ended warranty. If our leaders continue to insist on reciprocity and clarity, and if patriots like Carla Sands keep pressing that message, the West will be stronger for it — and America will remain the confident, sovereign nation its people demand.
