Entry revised for OED Online

régime, regime

DRAFT REVISION Apr. 2007

DRAFT ADDITIONS MARCH 2006

regime change n. replacement of one governing administration by another; (in later use also euphem.) removal of a hostile foreign government, esp. by military force.

1925 Los Angeles Times 1 Aug. 8/4 (headline) *Regime change effort denied. 1965 World Politics 17 239 Those NATO designs..would be severely compromised by regime changes in individual nations which shifted their foreign policies in a neutralist direction.

1987 Washington Post 20 Feb. A27/6 In mid-August last year, the president signed a National Security Decision Directive stating that he still sought a 'regime change' in Libya, and directed the CIA to conduct a campaign of 'disinformation'. 

2002 Sun (Baltimore) 18 Aug. A1/3 Iraq's use of gas in that conflict is repeatedly mentioned..as justification for ‘regime change’ in Iraq.