Every so often, the leadership of one country will decide that it doesn't like the leadership of another country. Perhaps there's a longstanding feud between the two leaders, perhaps one wants to take over the other but not look like it, or perhaps the leader of the latter country is bent on causing trouble. Whatever the reason, the first country wants the leadership gone.
Enter
Regime Change. Popularized during the run-up to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, this term can be applied to any number of forms: Invasions, coups, assassinations, fixing elections...you name it, it's probably happened.
Examples:
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Film
- The Real Life regime change the USA has done in Central America was parodied in Woody Allen's Bananas, when the CIA soldiers already on their way in the airplane had to ask if they were being sent in for or against the current government.
Live Action TV
- The Leverage episode "The San Lorenzo Job" had the team attempt to fix the presidential election in the nation of San Lorenzo. They need the current president gone so he can no longer protect a ruthless international criminal who is their real target.
Newspaper Comics
- Dogbert has done this more than once in Dilbert.
Web Original
- In The Salvation War, the humans do this. To Hell. Not only that, Heaven seems to be next on the list.
Video Games
- This is the ultimate goal in the Just Cause games.
Western Animation
Real Life
- The Trope Namer was Iraq in 2003. Other instances abound.
- Look at the history of Latin America, and see which change of government doesn't have CIA involvement behind it. You will be hard-pressed to make it a long list.
- The British didn't like it that the Iranian prime minister Mossadeq nationalized their big oil, so they toppled the democratically elected government and installed the Shah. Ayatollah Khomeini didn't like it that foreign infidels are dictating the country, so he toppled the British-backed government and installed the Islamist revolutionaries. America didn't like the Islamist government, so... eh, nevermind.
- Older Than Feudalism: The ancient Romans demanded this as a part of the peace after the Second Punic War.
