Trump’s ‘Doctrine of Regime Conformity Destruction’: Military-Economic Satellite States; Kim Min-sok Adds ‘North Korea’
Attempts are being made to create satellite states using military and economic power under the Trump administration’s strategy of the ‘Doctrine of Regime Conformity Destruction.’
During the Trump administration’s secret negotiations regarding the complete cutoff of oil supplies to Cuba, Prime Minister Kim Min-sok met with President Trump at the White House via the matchmaking of a ‘US Christian group.’ When President Trump asked if Kim Jong-un was willing to talk, Prime Minister Kim formalized his demand for access to North Korea by referring to him as the ‘only peacemaker leader.’
The New York Times assessed Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Rubio, who leads the war and deal under the Trump administration, stating, “The combination of neoconservatism and President Trump’s dealmanship is no different from using U.S. military and economic power to turn authoritarian states into satellite states,” and added, “This is not regime change, but a doctrine of regime conformity, destruction, and deal.”
Secretary Rubio’s warning to Iran was somewhat cryptic and violent.
Before launching an attack on Iran, he spoke of “Chiang Kai-shek’s sword,” saying, “We will unleash Chiang Kai-shek on these people in the coming hours and days.”
In 2005, at the Florida legislature, he referred to the “golden sword” given to him by former President George W. Bush’s brother (then Florida Governor) as “Chiang Kai-shek’s sword,” staging a scene where he held the sword’s hilt in his right hand and supported the golden scabbard in his left; this photo was released by The New York Times on the 14th.
In his congressional testimony regarding the attack on Iran, he stated, "As the world's two most powerful air forces bring down this terrorist regime, a real change in the scope and intensity of this attack will begin to appear." The New York Times reported on the 14th, “This mysterious remark came as he stated he would accelerate bombing operations between the U.S. and Israel immediately after the war began.”
The report noted that “‘Chiang Kai-shek’ refers to a little-known connection between Rubio and the Bush family; young Bush president George W. Bush was the architect of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the two ‘eternal wars’ of the 20th century.
In 2005, George W. Bush’s brother, Zeb Bush, who was then the governor of Florida, presented Rubio with a golden sword in the Florida legislature while Rubio was preparing to become Speaker of the House, and President Bush said at the time that it was a ‘great conservative warrior’ and ‘the mysterious weapon of Chiang Kai-shek.’”
The NYT continued, “‘Unleash Chiang Kai-shek’ is a phrase shouted by his father, George H.W. Bush, who was the ambassador to China before becoming president, to his tennis opponents; it refers to Chiang Kai-shek, the U.S.-backed Chinese military leader who fought against Mao’s Chinese Communist Party but was ultimately defeated.”
He initially displayed contradictory remarks regarding whether a change of Trump’s administration was the goal of a war with Iran.
Rubio criticized the "radical Shia clerics" ruling the country, and while Iran's key ayatollah was killed in the first Israeli attack, he did not explicitly state that overthrowing them was the goal of the war. While President Trump has been inciting a popular uprising, Rubio also showed interest in reaching an agreement with current Iranian government officials.
Indeed, throughout his long political career, Mr. Rubio has advocated for the overthrow of governments hostile to the United States.
Secretary Rubio, who holds hardline foreign policy views that have long aligned with the George W. Bush administration—which launched the two major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—is finally unleashing his inner Chiang Kai-shek and wielding a golden sword across the world. The New York Times reported, “He even mentioned the necessity of a preemptive strike against Iran, citing a non-existent, imminent threat—the same rhetoric used by the Bush administration to justify the invasion of Iraq.”
The article added, “The influence of neoconservatives peaked during the Bush administration and the post-9/11 war era, and their ideology still exerts influence in Washington; some of their views are now at the center of President Trump’s foreign policy, led by Rubio.”
In terms of foreign policy, one strategy involves strengthening the military partnership between the U.S. and Israel and striking Israel’s adversaries, particularly Iran. Last June, during the 12-day war initiated by Israel, the United States became the first nation to launch a simultaneous attack on Iran.
Secretary Rubio, who also serves as President Trump’s National Security Advisor, helped plan that attack and most, if not almost, of the administration’s major military operations, and President Trump has led the orders for attacks in eight countries over the past year. When Rubio became President Trump's Secretary of State in January 2025, he began speaking in a conciliatory tone toward Russia and China—authoritarian leaders Trump respects—using public softening of military stances to align with the president's election pledge to "stop new wars."
Initially, Secretary Rubio condemned Russia using the language of good and evil characteristic of neoconservatism.
However, last summer, Rubio clearly emerged as a spokesperson for military intervention in countries the Trump administration deemed weak.
He supported an attack on Iran in June and made hardline remarks, stating that Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro must be held accountable for stealing the election and, as Rubio put it, that he led a "drug terrorist" group.
The New York Times reported, “This led to deadly U.S. attacks on civilian vessels near Venezuela and the arrest of Minister Maduro in January,” adding, “Minister Rubio fully revealed his inner hawkish nature on February 28 when the administration launched propaganda with Israel to start a war with Iran, and he made no secret of the administration’s goal to weaken or overthrow the Cuban communist government, which he had personally pursued for decades.”
In contrast, regarding his and President Trump’s “dealtivism,” the NYT reported, “Minister Rubio is willing to follow precedent and make deals with authoritarian governments; while waging an economic war by blocking oil shipments to Cuba, he is quietly negotiating with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro—the grandson of Fidel Castro’s brother Raúl—to open up the Cuban economy.” The report added, “Rubio is also working closely with Delcy Rodríguez, a Venezuelan and Maduro’s left-wing authoritarian ally, and is not pushing for a power grab by María Corína Machado, a conservative, pro-democratic opposition leader who is also Maduro’s left-wing authoritarian ally and currently governs the country.”
Previously, as a senator, he co-signed a letter supporting the nomination of opposition leader Machado for the Nobel Peace Prize prior to the 2024 attack on Venezuela, and continued “secret negotiations” with a close aide to President Maduro who was arrested in a surprise airstrike. The New York Times assessed, “Cuba and Venezuela are very complex issues for the Trump administration, and a war with Iran is also a matter that could succeed or fail President Trump’s term,” adding, “We are facing a question that many U.S. administrations have faced since World War II: namely, can one country reshape another, or can it compel submission through a ceaseless bombing campaign?”
Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy research at the Cato Institution, which advocates for military restraint, told the NYT, “It would be really nice if we could fundamentally change the politics of other countries through sophisticated airstrikes,” adding, “But we cannot do that. There is an American stubbornness on this point, and we continue to learn this lesson.”
On the 13th, regarding the impromptu meeting with the President and “White House Faith Director Rev. Paula White,” Prime Minister Kim told Korean reporters, “The meeting was arranged after I made a request to representative religious leaders in Korea who have long maintained a relationship with Rev. White.”
He added, “The meeting took place in a conference room located right next to President Trump’s Oval Office, connected by a door,” and “During our conversation, which lasted nearly an hour, Rev. White decided that a meeting with President Trump was necessary. She checked the situation in the Oval Office area several times and arranged the meeting with me at the time President Trump’s meeting was concluding.”
Prime Minister Kim told reporters, “I met and spoke with President Trump for about 20 minutes,” adding, “A significant portion of the conversation was him asking for my views on the North Korean issue.” He noted, “President Lee Jae-myung often says that President Trump is the only leader capable of resolving the Korean Peninsula issue.” In response, he asked his aide to bring a photo taken with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom. On the 13th, he stated, “I maintain a good relationship with Chairman Kim,” and “I wonder if Chairman Kim wants to talk with the United States or with me.”
Regarding this, Prime Minister Kim announced, “Fundamentally, I told him that President Trump is the only Western leader who has spoken with North Korea and Chairman Kim,” adding, “I also told him that I believe he is the only leader with the capability to act as a peacemaker to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue.”
The NYT reported on the same day, “Shortly after President Trump launched a new war against Iran alongside Israel, an AI video featuring Secretary of State Marco Rubio went viral online,” adding, “Wearing a black turban and robe, he presides over an Iranian military parade, delivers a speech at a mosque, and gazes at the Tehran skyline. Caption: ‘Marco Rubio Realizes He Has Become Iran’s New Supreme Leader.’”
The report continued, “Intended as a satire, this video clearly shows a significant moment for Rubio.” "Throughout his long political career, Mr. Rubio has advocated for the overthrow of governments hostile to the United States," the report stated.
The NYT continued, "At one time, he was so ideologically distant from President Trump that many officials and politicians doubted whether he could last a year in the administration, but today, Mr. Rubio is leading President Trump's aggressive campaign to reshape the governments of several countries, including Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba."
The report added, "The U.S. president, who promised to end U.S. wars, is now accepting policies supported by Rubio and the Secretary of State's ideological peers, disappointing supporters who believed President Trump had ushered in a new era of military restraint. This is tantamount to the combination of neoconservatism and President Trump's transactionalism, which is using U.S. military and economic power to turn authoritarian states into satellite states."
The Hankyoreh reported that regarding North Korea-U.S. relations, Prime Minister Kim "conveyed the opinion that it is necessary to increase contact and dialogue to keep even the smallest possibility alive," and noted that "North Korea's recent rhetoric has also shown some progress, shifting from 'there is no reason not to meet' to 'there is no reason for our relationship to necessarily be bad.'"
The Hankyoreh further reported on a "secret deal between the Lee Jae-myung and Trump administrations," stating, "Prime Minister Kim made concrete proposals to improve North Korea-U.S. relations, but did not disclose the details. He said, 'I have an idea that it would be good to use a certain card as an opportunity to resolve the issue,' adding that 'President Trump showed great interest.'"
The newspaper also conveyed, "He further stated, 'President Trump instructed his aides to gather some additional information regarding my opinion and told them to review measures related to North Korea.'"
At the time of his confirmation hearing, Prime Minister Kim was an ordained deacon at Shingil Church, and in November 2023, he introduced himself at a Protestant event as a "democrat with a Christian worldview."
During the Prime Minister's confirmation hearing, Representative Park Sun-won, a key figure in the pro-Lee faction, demonstrated a "religious priority" by stating, "I understand that Candidate Kim graduated from Soongsil High School, served in the church choir, and possesses a very sincere Christian faith," adding, "I express my respect for how he firmly and successfully navigated through those difficult times while holding onto the word of the Bible."
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 14th, "Our military detected about 10 unidentified ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area of North Korea toward the East Sea around 1:20 p.m. today."
Yonhap News reported on the 14th, "The launch of about 10 missiles at once is an unusual occurrence and is interpreted as a show of force." The report added, "The ballistic missile launch on this day attracted even more attention because it took place after U.S. President Trump expressed his willingness to talk with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un. It is reported that President Trump met with South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-sok, who visited the White House on the 13th, and sought the Prime Minister's opinion, asking, 'I wonder if Chairman Kim wants to talk with the U.S. and with me.'"
Reuters reported on the 14th, "State media reported that North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un supervised the test launch of 12 600mm caliber multiple rocket launchers on Saturday," noting that "this occurred after the U.S. and South Korea began their annual large-scale exercises in South Korea this week."
Reuters continued by stating, "The South Korean military reported that on the 14th, North Korea fired more than 10 ballistic missiles toward the sea off the east coast, and the missiles were launched from an area near the capital, Pyongyang, around 1:20 p.m. local time and flew about 350 kilometers."
It added, "Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Chairman Kim Jong-un, said that the U.S.-South Korea military exercises were 'provocative and aggressive war drills' and would harm regional stability. South Korea and Washington say the exercises are purely for defensive purposes and are intended to test readiness against North Korea's military threats."
President Trump told reporters on Air Force One on the 15th, "I believe we will have the honor of taking Cuba," adding, "It is right to occupy Cuba in some form or another. We are occupying Cuba. Whether I release it or take it—if you want to know the truth, I can do as I please."
He told reporters, "I am holding Cuba back," and "We will soon reach an agreement or do what needs to be done. We will do Iran before Cuba."
Since January, the Trump administration has effectively imposed an oil embargo on Cuba, threatening and even taking military action against other nations that supply oil to the island.
In February, a U.S. Coast Guard vessel intercepted a tanker full of crude oil heading from Colombia to Cuba; as a result, Cuba has not received any significant oil or fuel imports since January 9, and the crisis on the island is rapidly deteriorating. Gasoline sold on the black market has skyrocketed to about $35 per gallon, electricity is being cut off almost every day, a nationwide blackout occurred on the 16th, surgeries are being delayed, medicines are running out, and food insecurity is intensifying.
See <U.S. and Venezuela Rapidly Transform from Longtime Friends to Arch-enemies: Rubio's 'Elimination of Cuba', December 21, 2025>