Description
Book SynopsisIn Catastrophic Success, Alexander B. Downes compiles all instances of regime change around the world over the past two centuries. Drawing on this impressive data set, Downes shows that regime change increases the likelihood of civil war and violent leader removal in target states and fails to reduce the probability of conflict between intervening states and their targets. As Downes demonstrates, when a state confronts an obstinate or dangerous adversary, the lure of toppling its government and establishing a friendly administration is strong. The historical record, however, shows that foreign-imposed regime change is, in the long term, neither cheap, easy, nor consistently successful. The strategic impulse to forcibly oust antagonistic or non-compliant regimes overlooks two key facts. First, the act of overthrowing a foreign government sometimes causes its military to disintegrate, sending thousands of armed men into the countryside where they often wage
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Defining Foreign-Imposed Regime Change
2. Theorizing the Effects of Foreign-Imposed Regime Change
3. Foreign-Imposed Regime Change and Civil War
4. Foreign-Imposed Regime Change and the Survival of Leaders
5. Foreign-Imposed Regime Change and Interstate Relations
Conclusion
