Internal regime change Regime change can be precipitated by revolution or a
coup d'état. For example, the
French Revolution, the
Russian Revolution, and the
Iranian Revolution.
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. 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: •
Catholicism vs
Protestantism: From the 1520s to the early 18th century •
Republicanism vs
Constitutional monarchy vs
Absolute monarchy: From the 1770s to the late 19th century •
Communism vs
Socialism vs
Capitalism: From the late 1910s to the 1980s •
Islamism vs
Secularism: post-1990 == Impact ==