{"id":2682,"date":"2025-02-15T13:28:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T14:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/?p=2682"},"modified":"2025-02-15T14:30:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T14:30:22","slug":"freedom-of-speech-nato-states-role-in-their-own-defense-migration-crisis-key-takeaways-from-vances-munich-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/15\/freedom-of-speech-nato-states-role-in-their-own-defense-migration-crisis-key-takeaways-from-vances-munich-address\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom of speech, NATO states\u2019 role in their own defense, migration crisis: Key takeaways from Vance\u2019s Munich address"},"content":{"rendered":"

US Vice President J.D. Vance spoke to leaders and experts at the annual security conference, calling on them to focus on problems at home rather than abroad<\/strong><\/p>\n

US Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a historic speech at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, which President Donald Trump has praised as \u201cbrilliant.\u201d<\/em> Vance touched on the most pressing issues facing Western democracies. Here are the key takeaways from what he said:<\/p>\n

Democratic backsliding<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Vance voiced concerns over the erosion of democratic values in Europe, highlighting cases where elections were annulled or threatened. He cited Romania\u2019s presidential election, where the first-round results were overturned in November due to alleged foreign interference.<\/p>\n

However, a December investigation found no evidence of Russian involvement in a social media campaign supporting independent candidate Calin Georgescu. Instead, the probe revealed his campaign was funded by the pro-Western National Liberal Party (PNL), contradicting earlier claims. Snoop reported<\/a> that Romania\u2019s constitutional court ultimately annulled the election.<\/p>\n

\u201cEuropean courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others\u2026 We ought to ask whether we\u2019re holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard,\u201d<\/em> Vance challenged, urging European leaders to uphold democratic principles.<\/p>\n

\n
\n READ MORE: <\/span>Trump ejects from the Ukraine joyride, leaving the EU screaming in the backseat
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Freedom of speech and censorship<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vance dedicated much of his speech to warning against rising censorship in Europe, criticizing EU regulations that allow governments to shut down social media and silence political dissent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look to Brussels, where EU commissars warn citizens they intend to shut down social media\u2026 the moment they spot what they\u2019ve judged to be, quote, hateful content,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n

He cited cases in Sweden and also in the UK where individuals faced prosecution for peaceful expressions of faith or political beliefs, including British Army veteran Adam Smith Connor, fined for silently praying near an abortion clinic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat,\u201d<\/em> Vance warned.<\/p>\n

Drawing parallels with US policies, he accused the Biden administration of pressuring social media companies to censor content, contrasting this with Trump\u2019s leadership: \u201cWe may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer them in the public square.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Vance argued that Europe\u2019s greatest challenge is not Russia or China but \u201cthe threat from within\u201d<\/em> \u2013 a retreat from fundamental democratic values shared with the US.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must do more than talk about democratic values. We must live them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

European security and burden sharing<\/h4>\n

Vance reiterated the Trump administration\u2019s stance<\/a> that NATO\u2019s European member-states must take greater responsibility for their own defense. <\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump has made abundantly clear that our European friends must play a bigger role in the future of this continent,\u201d<\/em> he said, emphasizing the need for increased defense spending by NATO allies.<\/p>\n

However, he also questioned the strategic priorities of European leaders. \u201cI\u2019ve heard a lot about what you need to defend yourselves from,\u201d<\/em> he said. \u201cBut what is less clear to me is what exactly you are defending yourselves for.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The migration crisis<\/h4>\n

Vance has highlighted the profound impact of mass migration on European nations. He emphasized that the rapid influx of migrants is reshaping societies without explicit voter consent, asserting that no electorate has endorsed opening \u201cthe floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Vance noted that nearly 20% of the population in some European countries consists of individuals who have moved from abroad, marking an unprecedented demographic shift.<\/p>\n

He argued that this surge has escalated security risks, citing an incident in Munich on Thursday where an asylum seeker, known to police, rammed<\/a> a car into a crowd.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
White House sends Valentine\u2019s Day warning to migrants<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Democratic governance and the role of people<\/h4>\n

Vance stressed the necessity of listening to the people, emphasizing that leaders must respect the democratic process rather than seek to manipulate or suppress dissent.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There\u2019s no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He warned against the dangers of ignoring the electorate\u2019s concerns and argued that true security cannot exist without a government that is responsive to its people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mixed reactions from European leaders and experts<\/h4>\n

President Donald Trump praised Vance\u2019s remarks, calling the speech \u201cbrilliant\u201d<\/em> and agreeing with his concerns about the erosion of free speech in Europe. However, some European officials were not so keen on the address.<\/p>\n

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius strongly rejected the US vice president\u2019s assertions, calling them \u201cnot acceptable\u201d<\/em> and likening them to attacks from authoritarian regimes. Similarly, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed concern that the speech signaled the US was \u201ctrying to pick a fight\u201d<\/em> with Europe.<\/p>\n

Kallas\u2019 concerns about growing transatlantic tension were echoed by some Russian officials. Federation Council member Aleksey Pushkov remarked that the Trump-Vance doctrine fundamentally clashes with liberal European values and will inevitably strain US-Europe relations under Trump. Meanwhile, Russian Senator Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov described Vance\u2019s speech as a \u201ccold shower\u201d<\/em> for European Russophobes in an interview with RIA Novosti.<\/p>\n

\n
\n US Vice President J.D. Vance speaks at the 61st Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2025 in Munich, Germany.<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9\u00a0Global Look Press \/ IMAGO\/dts Nachrichtenagentur <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US Vice President J.D. Vance spoke to leaders and experts at the annual security conference, calling on them to focus on problems at home rather than abroad US Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a historic speech at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, which President Donald Trump has praised as \u201cbrilliant.\u201d Vance touched on the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2682"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2686,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682\/revisions\/2686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.developeternal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}