Types[edit]
Internal regime change[edit]
Regime change can be precipitated by revolution or a coup d'état. For example, the 1917 Russian Revolution, the 1962 Burmese coup, and the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
Foreign-imposed regime change[edit]
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 in 1945. Foreign-imposed regime change is sometimes used by states as a foreign policy tool.[4] According to a dataset by Alexander Downes, 120 leaders have been successfully removed through foreign-imposed regime change between 1816 and 2011.[2]
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union frequently intervened in elections and engaged in attempts at regime change, both covertly and overtly.[5][6][7][8] 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.[9]
Regime promotion[edit]
According to John Owen IV, there are four historical waves of forcible regime promotion:[10]