Regime change has been one of the most consequential and controversial instruments of United States foreign policy, shaping the political trajectories of dozens of nations across the world. From the era of territorial expansion and military occupations to the Cold War’s covert operations and the post-9/11 interventions framed around national security, ideological containment, or humanitarian protection, U.S. involvement in the removal or restructuring of foreign governments has left enduring consequences for regional stability and domestic governance.
Below is a structured, chronological table summarizing major U.S.-involved regime change operations – overt and covert – across history. This table focuses on foreign governments whose leadership was overthrown, removed, or fundamentally altered through U.S. military action, intelligence operations, economic pressure, or political intervention. It does not include purely diplomatic pressure, election interference allegations without regime collapse, or indirect influence lacking decisive impact.
| Year(s) | Country | Leader/regime removed | U.S. role | Method of Intervention | Outcome |
| 1893 | Kingdom of Hawaii | Queen Liliʻuokalani | Overt | Support for ecoup by U.S. settlers | Monarchy overthrown; annexed by U.S. |
| 1898 | Cuba | Spanish colonial government | Military | Spanish-American War | U.S.-influenced independence |
| 1898 | Philippines | Spanish colonial rule | Military | War with Spain | U.S. colonial administration |
| 1903 | Panama | Colombian sovereignty | Diplomatic/military | Support for secession | Creation of Panama; U.S. canal control |
| 1909 | Nicaragua | José Santos Zelaya | Diplomatic/military | Support for rebels | Zelaya resigns |
| 1912-1933 | Nicaragua | Multiple governments | Military | U.S. occupation | Pro-U.S. regimes installed |
| 1915-1934 | Haiti | Multiple governments | Military | U.S. occupation | U.S.-controlled governance |
| 1916-1924 | Dominican Republic | Ramón Cáceres’ successors | Military | U.S. occupation | U.S.-backed regime |
| 1953 | Iran | Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh | Covert (CIA) | Coup (Operation Ajax) | Shah restored to power |
| 1954 | Guatemala | Jacobo Árbenz | Covert (CIA) | Coup | Military dictatorship installed |
| 1961 | Cuba | Fidel Castro (attempted) | Military/covert | Bay of Pigs invasion | Failed regime change |
| 1963 | South Vietnam | Ngô Đình Diệm | Covert/diplomatic | Supported military coup | Diệm assassinated |
| 1964 | Brazil | João Goulart | Covert/diplomatic | Support for military coup | Military dictatorship |
| 1965 | Dominican Republic | Juan Bosch | Military | U.S. invasion | Conservative regime restored |
| 1965-1966 | Indonesia | Sukarno | Covert | Support for military purge | Suharto assumes power |
| 1970-1973 | Chile | Salvador Allende | Covert/economic | Destabilization, coup support | Pinochet dictatorship |
| 1979-1989 | Afghanistan | PDPA government | Covert | Support for Mujahideen | Regime collapse |
| 1983 | Grenada | Maurice Bishop’s government | Military | Invasion | Pro-U.S. government installed |
| 1989 | Panama | Manuel Noriega | Military | U.S. invasion | Noriega removed |
| 2001 | Afghanistan | Taliban regime | Military | U.S.-led invasion | Taliban removed (temporarily) |
| 2003 | Iraq | Saddam Hussein | Military | U.S.-led invasion | Regime toppled |
| 2011 | Libya | Muammar Gaddafi | Military (NATO) | Air campaign | Regime collapse |
| 2014 | Ukraine | Viktor Yanukovych | Diplomatic/political | Support for opposition | Yanukovych ousted |
| 2022-present | Russia (attempted) | Vladimir Putin (indirect) | Economic/political | Sanctions, proxy support | No regime change |
| 2026 | Venezuela | Nicolás Maduro | Military | U.S. invasion | Maduro captured and extradited to the U.S. |
