The Economics of US Policy of Regime Change in the Less Developed Countries: Saudi Arabia and Libya Compared

Abstract

This paper studies US foreign policy of regime change in the Third World countries using Saudi Arabia and Libya as case illustration. The paper pursued an explanation for US dual mandate in the two countries that are fundamentally Islamic, undemocratic, terrorist sponsors, and autocratic. Guided by the structural theory enunciated by Seligson and Booth (1993) among others, secondary method of data collection and content analysis, the paper observed that US differential access to the two countries’ petro-dollar economies necessitated its dual policy of regime change. It observed also that the Saudi regime is a US surrogate that amenable to US interests while the Libyan regime is ideologically nationalistic and revolutionary. It is therefore recommended that belligerent use of force in the international economic system and competition should be avoided to deter the threat and possible actual use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (MAD) by emerging powers. Secondly, the constitutive acts of the UN and International Law should form the basis of competition, agreement and relations between and among states in the international system. Finally, World Power must endeavour to abide by the contents of UN Resolutions during their implementation.

Keywords: policy, regime change, Weapons of Mass Destruction, UN