White House Strategy Focuses on Forcing Adversarial Regimes to Alter Conduct Toward the U.S., Not Necessarily Collapse
WASHINGTON | As U.S.-Israeli military operations intensify in Iran and economic pressure campaigns expand across Latin America, President Donald Trump appears to be advancing a foreign policy doctrine that departs from traditional “regime change” orthodoxy. Instead, administration officials and analysts describe an approach centered on compelling adversarial governments to alter their behavior toward the United States — without necessarily dismantling the governing structure itself.
The strategy is playing out simultaneously in Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba, three long-standing U.S. adversaries where Washington is applying tailored combinations of military force, sanctions and diplomatic pressure.
Iran: Military Escalation Without a Government-in-Exile
The joint U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure marks one of the most aggressive uses of American power in years. Senior figures within the Iranian leadership — including elements close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — have reportedly been killed in precision strikes led by Israel with U.S. backing.
