Marco Rubio Gives Foreign Policy Speech

Senator Marco Rubio gave a major foreign policy speech today at Brookings Institution. Rubio offered his opinion of Russian politics saying that President Putin “might talk tough, but he knows he is weak. Everywhere he looks, he sees threats to his rule, real and imagined. And so he uses state-owned media to preach paranoia and anti-Western sentiments to Russians.” On China he said, “we hold out hope for a new China of tomorrow, but for now we must deal with the China of today.” He added that it would be “foolish” to think that China will “defend and support global economic and political freedom or take up the cause of human rights.” He also talked about the Middle East saying, “finally, the nations in the region see Syria as a test of our continued willingness to lead in the Middle East. If we prove unwilling to provide leadership, they will conclude that we are no longer a reliable security partner, and will decide to take matters into their own hands. And that means a regional arms race, the constant threat of armed conflict, and crippling fuel prices here at home due to instability. The most powerful and influential nation in the world cannot ask smaller, more vulnerable nations to take risks while we stand on the sidelines. We have to lead because the rewards for effective leadership are so great.”