Regime change is messy business and the Americans have a bad track record

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The United States has a really bad record when it comes to regime change.

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Time and again, it’s sought to oust foreign leaders and replace them with more favoured replacements. The success rate isn’t great.

It was a disaster in Vietnam, at a horrendous cost in life. Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, … defeat, disappointment, debacle, take your pick. Again and again, the U.S. has proved its ability to go where it wishes, overpower opponents and rid the planet of tyrants and terrorists as it sees fit, only to find the aftermath fails to match expectations.

Just four years ago, the Biden administration orchestrated the most recent example, before Saturday’s dramatic events in Venezuela. The hasty and chaotic retreat from Afghanistan damaged Biden’s image so badly he never really recovered. The frantic U.S. flight was so beneficial to political opponents, Trump officials are still making hay of it, just recently ordering a review of the withdrawal as “an important step toward regaining faith and trust with the American people and all those who wear the uniform.”

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