Regime change is the partly forcible or coercive replacement of one government regime with another. It is typically understood as a violation of the sovereignty of the target state. Regime change may replace all or part of the state's most critical leadership system, administrative apparatus, or bureaucracy. Regime change may occur through domestic processes, such as revolution, coup, or reconstruction of government following state failure or civil war. It can also be imposed on a country by foreign actors through invasion, overt or covert interventions, or coercive diplomacy. Regime change may entail the construction of new institutions, the restoration of old institutions, and the promotion of new ideologies.

Foreign-imposed regime change

Commonly referred to as regime change wars, foreign-imposed regime change is the deposing of a regime by a foreign state, which can be achieved through covert means or by direct military action. Interstate war can also culminate into a foreign-imposed regime change for the losers, as occurred for the Axis powers during World War II (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Empire of Japan). Foreign-imposed regime change is sometimes used by states as a foreign policy tool. According to a dataset by Alexander Downes, 120 leaders have been removed through foreign-imposed regime change between 1816 and 2011. According to Michael Poznansky, covert regime change became more common when non-intervention was codified into international law, leading states that wanted to engage in regime change to do so covertly and conceal their violations of international law.

Modern examples of regime-change include the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Regime promotion

According to John Owen IV, there are four historical waves of forcible regime promotion:

  1. Catholicism vs Protestantism: From the 1520s to the early 18th century
  2. Republicanism vs Constitutional monarchy vs Absolute monarchy: From the 1770s to the late 19th century
  3. Communism vs Socialism vs Capitalism: From the late 1910s to the 1980s
  4. Islamism vs Secularism: post-1990

Impact

Studies by Alexander Downes, Lindsey O'Rourke and Jonathan Monten indicate that foreign-imposed regime change seldom reduces the likelihood of civil war, Downes argues, However, research by Reiter and Goran Peic finds that foreign-imposed regime change can raise the probability of civil war.

By country

  • Russian involvement in regime change
  • Soviet involvement in regime change
  • United States involvement in regime change
  • United States involvement in regime change in Latin America

See also

  • Active measures (in Soviet Union and Russia)
  • Color revolution
  • Covert operations
  • Democracy promotion
  • Export of revolution
  • List of CIA controversies
  • Peaceful transition of power
  • Rollback
  • State collapse

References

Further reading

  • Encarta Dictionary
  • Word Spy: Regime Change