Secretary
of State Marco Rubio says at the Munich conference that
deindustrialization was a deliberate, decades-long policy choice that
stripped nations of wealth, productive capacity, and independence. Susan
Kokinda connects Rubio’s claim to a 1977 Council on Foreign Relations
report calling for the “Controlled Disintegration” of the world economy,
arguing it targeted the Hamiltonian American System and helped drive
the hollowing out of U.S. manufacturing and current European industrial
decline. The episode highlights European reactions, including ECB head
Christine Lagarde’s warning about geo-economic fragmentation and
financial fragility, and Belgium’s prime minister citing a dramatic loss
of chemical production capacity linked to decarbonization. It then
argues the Trump administration is reversing the model through tariffs,
industrial policy, large-scale investment, support for critical sectors,
and a renewed focus on physical economy and household incomes, citing
speeches by Trade Ambassador Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Examples include Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s announcement of
deploying a next-generation nuclear reactor to Utah and White House
advisor Peter Navarro attacking JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon amid a push to
cut credit card rates from 20–30% to 10%.
00:00 The Monday Brief - IT WAS DELIBERATE: Rubio Exposes the 50-Year Plot - February 16, 2026
01:59 Rubio at Munich — and the Globalist Panic
07:30 The 1977 Blueprint — CFR's "Controlled Disintegration"
10:30 Trump's Counter-Attack — The American System in Action