State Preferences, Viable Alternatives, and Covert Action

<p>This dissertation seeks to build a model of when and where the United States</p><p>engaged in covert action during the Cold War. This study introduces novel data on</p><p>American covert action during the cold war, as well as new data on the presence of</p><p>viable alternative (VA) governments throughout the Cold War. It describes the</p><p>distribution of both these phenomenon across both space and time, and tests an</p><p>argument about where the U.S. chose to employ covert action during the Cold War. The</p><p>statistical results show that the U.S. was likely to employ covert regime change against</p><p>potential targets aligned against the U.S.-led order in which there was a viable</p><p>alternative government for the U.S. to partner with. The U.S. was likely to engage in</p><p>covert regime maintenance to prop up states aligned with with U.S.-led order in which</p><p>there was a viable alternative government the U.S. desired to keep out of the power.</p><p>Finally, subversion was most probable against targets who stood against the U.S. order,</p><p>but in which there was no viable opposition for the U.S. to partner with.</p>

Author dc:creator

• Roberts, Jordan P

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Beardsley, Kyle

• Political science
• covert action

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/21020

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dukespace.lib.duke.edu:10161/21020