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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Comment
Christopher S Chivvis

FORGOTTEN HISTORY: It s time for america to remember how dangerous regime change is | History Defined

Women wearing black hold up a picture of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Iranian flag
‘Any hope of success would require America to prepare to pay a hefty price in blood and treasure.’ Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

The ceasefire between Iran and Israel might still hold, but if not, the United States might double down on its weekend strikes and seek the overthrow of the Iranian regime. Donald Trump threatened this in comments and tweets earlier, and top officials such as Marco Rubio have said they wouldn’t mind it if it happened. Israeli leaders are openly in favor. If the US goes down this road, it will not be for the first time.

In the last 80 years, Washington has overthrown many regimes. For a superpower, toppling foreign governments is not so hard to do. Getting the outcome you want is. This makes regime change as dangerous as it is seductive, as past US attempts clearly show.

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