Regime change refers to the deliberate removal and replacement of a foreign government, typically carried out or enabled by a more powerful outside actor. It can take the form of military invasion, covert CIA or intelligence operations, economic strangulation, or support for internal opposition. The United States has pursued regime change in Iran (1953 coup, Operation Ajax), Guatemala (1954), Chile (1973), Iraq (2003), and Libya (2011). International law, including the UN Charter, prohibits interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. Regime change operations are controversial because they often produce prolonged instability, and because they expose the contradiction between stated democratic values and interventionist practice.
Regime change reveals the tension between respecting sovereignty and intervening for strategic gain. When one power removes another's government, it sends a message about the rules of international law—and often produces decades of instability, blown-back revenge, and failed states.
People often think regime change is about spreading democracy or preventing human rights abuses. While those justifications are sometimes offered, regime change is ultimately about power—removing governments that refuse to align with the intervening nation's interests, regardless of the stated humanitarian or security rationale.
Regime change reveals the tension between respecting sovereignty and intervening for strategic gain. When one power removes another's government, it sends a message about the rules of international law—and often produces decades of instability, blown-back revenge, and failed states.
People often think regime change is about spreading democracy or preventing human rights abuses. While those justifications are sometimes offered, regime change is ultimately about power—removing governments that refuse to align with the intervening nation's interests, regardless of the stated humanitarian or security rationale.