A regime change policy is one where a foreign power, usually the United States, seeks to replace an existing government that does not advance its political, security, or economic interests with another that does. This effort typically includes covert and overt policy mechanisms as well as military operations that fall short of a full-scale war.
The main goal of a regime change is to impose new leadership on a country, often by forcibly overthrowing an existing dictatorship. In the past, the United States has promoted regime changes in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East to pursue its interests. The result, however, has been poor. In fact, a growing scholarly consensus has emerged that such missions are often ineffective and produce deleterious side effects.
This is particularly true when a foreign power uses its power to promote regime change in countries with weak governance structures and high levels of corruption, which are likely to lead to more instability after the departure of the previous leadership. Moreover, these efforts have frequently created anarchy and led to more conflict within the target nation.
The United States should consider the cost of promoting regime change before embarking on such missions. Instead of relying on regime change as a tool to achieve our objectives, we should instead seek to work with foreign leaders to advance our shared interests.
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