The next US diplomat, Marco Rubio and foreign policy

2024-11-23 22:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Republican Senator Marco Rubio to lead US foreign policy during the next four years of the Republican presidency. As Voice of America correspondent Steve Herman reports, Republican Rubio has represented the state of Florida in the United States Senate since 2011 and serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and the Intelligence Committee.

Senator Marco Rubio, 53, is the son of Cuban immigrants. If confirmed by the Senate, he would become the first Hispanic secretary of state. Mr. Rubio is known for his tough stances against authoritarian regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and China.

"It has shown determination on a number of issues, certainly China among them," says analyst Michael O'Hanlon with the Brookings Institution.

Senator Rubio has said that China is aligned with Iran, North Korea and Russia against the United States.

After the large-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2022, Mr. Rubio was a vocal supporter of Kiev. He has recently called for negotiations to end the conflict while in April he voted against a $95 billion aid package.

"Our goal, when it comes to Ukraine, is to help it in a way that doesn't drain our budget, and doesn't damage our alliances around the world," Mr. Rubio says.

Senators who will vote for confirmation are expected to examine his beliefs on American politics, analyst Michael O'Hanlon told VOA.

"If we were to abandon Ukraine, something Rubio is not saying, but if Ukraine were to suffer defeat, that would cause many allies around the world to question whether we would support them."

Eight years ago, Mr. Rubio was one of Mr. Trump's rivals in the Republican presidential race. At the head of the State Department, Mr. Rubio would be responsible for implementing President-elect Donald Trump's foreign policy.

The Voice of America spoke to foreign policy researcher Vilma Petrash, a professor at Miami-Dade College.

"Regardless of expectations, we must be realistic. The United States will prioritize its interests over those of the rest of the world," she said.

When it comes to the Middle East, Mr. Rubio has been a strong supporter of Israel, in line with Republican Trump. Senator Rubio has called on Israel to eliminate Hamas from Gaza, while he has opposed the cease-fires, which he says would allow the regrouping of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States./VOA