A political storm erupted after remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2026. His speech, which praised the West's "missionaries, its pilgrims, its soldiers, its explorers" who helped build and expand "vast empires extending out across the globe," drew sharp criticism from leaders and commentators across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
For critics, the language echoed colonial nostalgia. Framing the colonial era as a period of strength and growth ignores land dispossession, forced labor, violence, and genocide that shaped much of the Global South. What may sound like historical reflection in Western capitals resonates very differently in regions that experienced the its brutal colonization firsthand.
This debate is not just symbolic. How leaders speak about empire influences modern foreign policy, trade negotiations, and security partnerships. For many developing countries, rhetoric about past dominance raises
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