Rubio was asked in a question-and-answer session where he falls between the isolationist views espoused by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a potential 2016 presidential candidate, and the interventionist approach of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the 2008 GOP nominee.

“I actually reject those two spectrums,” Rubio said. “That talk of hawks and doves is 20th century Cold War language that no longer applies. I believe in a strategic foreign policy. A strategic foreign policy has a toolbox that has at your disposal diplomacy, foreign aid, soft power, military power, all sorts of things.”

Rubio took the unusual step of directly criticizing President Obama’s foreign policy during the trip, saying he did not support a proposed military strike in Syria earlier this year and was “personally skeptical” of the interim agreement reached last month over Iran’s nuclear program.

It is customary for U.S. politicians to avoid criticizing the president while speaking overseas.