| Country | Year of Regime Change | Previous Regime/Leader | Alleged US/CIA Involvement | Immediate Post-Change Regime/Leader | Current Leader/Government (as of March 2026) | Islamic Before? | Islamic Now? | Notes on Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 2001 | Taliban (Islamic Emirate under Mullah Omar; Deobandi theocracy sheltering al-Qaeda) | CIA supported Northern Alliance with funding, training, and special forces; coordinated with US invasion post-9/11 to oust Taliban. | Transitional Islamic State (2002), then Islamic Republic under Hamid Karzai (2001–2014) and Ashraf Ghani (2014–2021); more secular democratic framework. | Taliban regained control in 2021; Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada; Islamic Emirate re-established. | Yes (strict Islamic theocracy). | Yes (strict Islamic theocracy). | Initial ouster removed Islamist regime, but US withdrawal in 2021 allowed Taliban return; some sources note CIA funding inadvertently benefited future Islamist commanders linked to al-Qaeda. |
| Iraq | 2003 | Ba’athist regime under Saddam Hussein (secular authoritarian, Sunni-dominated). | CIA involved in pre-invasion opposition funding and coup plotting; supported US-led invasion based on WMD/al-Qaeda claims (later debunked). | Interim Governing Council; transitioned to elected governments, often Shia-dominated. | Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani (since 2022); federal parliamentary republic with significant Shia influence. | No (secular Ba’athist). | No (secular republic, but with stronger Shia Islamic elements in governance). | Invasion led to insurgency and power vacuum; enabled rise of ISIS (Islamic State, a radical Sunni Islamist group) in 2014, though later largely defeated. |
| Haiti | 2004 | Elected government under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide (populist, non-Islamic). | US orchestrated pressure and supported rebels trained by Special Forces; invasion (Operation Secure Tomorrow) to stabilize post-coup. | Provisional government under Boniface Alexandre and Gérard Latortue. | President Ariel Henry (since 2021, interim amid ongoing instability); multiparty republic. | No. | No. | Aristide exiled; change led to prolonged unrest, but no Islamic shift. |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2005 | Authoritarian government under President Askar Akayev (non-Islamic). | US aid to opposition via State Dept, USAID, and NGOs; funded media and protest support during Tulip Revolution. | New elected government post-revolution. | President Sadyr Japarov (since 2021); parliamentary republic with ongoing political turbulence. | No. | No. | Revolution led to freer elections initially, but later authoritarian backsliding; no Islamic elements. |
| Somalia | 2006–2007 | Islamic Courts Union (ICU; Islamist Sharia-based courts, partially extremist). | CIA covert ops funded warlords and supported Ethiopian invasion with logistics, special forces, and airstrikes to depose ICU. | Transitional Federal Government under Abdullahi Yusuf (2004–2008) and later Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (2009–2012). | President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (since 2022); federal republic, but unstable with Al-Shabaab controlling territories. | Yes (Islamist). | No (secular federal), but Islamist insurgents (Al-Shabaab) prominent. | Ouster created vacuum; Al-Shabaab (radical Islamist offshoot of ICU) emerged and persists. |
| Palestine | 2006–2007 | Hamas government under PM Ismail Haniyeh (Islamist, elected). | CIA secretly trained and armed Fatah to topple Hamas; funded opposition, circumventing Congress. | Split: Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in West Bank; Hamas retained Gaza. | West Bank: President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah); Gaza: Hamas-led under Yahya Sinwar (de facto). | Yes (Hamas Islamist). | Partial (Hamas in Gaza is Islamist). | Intervention prevented unified Hamas rule, but solidified Islamist control in Gaza. |
| Honduras | 2009 | Elected government under President Manuel Zelaya (non-Islamic). | US military officials assisted coup planning and encouraged via Pentagon ties. | Post-coup government under Porfirio Lobo. | President Xiomara Castro (since 2022); democratic republic. | No. | No. | Coup succeeded; later democratic restoration, no Islamic impact. |
| Libya | 2011 | Regime under Muammar Gaddafi (secular authoritarian). | CIA supported NATO intervention (airstrikes, blockade) under UN resolution, expanding to regime change. | National Transitional Council; led to civil war and factions. | Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh (Government of National Unity, but divided country). | No. | No (secular factions), but Islamist militants active in parts. | Gaddafi killed; instability enabled Islamic groups like ISIS affiliates to gain footholds temporarily. |
| Bolivia | 2019 | Elected government under President Evo Morales (non-Islamic). | US pressured on election legitimacy; alleged orchestration of coup. | Interim government under Jeanine Áñez; MAS party returned via elections. | President Luis Arce (MAS, since 2020); plurinational republic. | No. | No. | Morales exiled temporarily; democratic restoration, no Islamic shift. |
| Venezuela | 2002 (failed) & 2026 | Hugo Chávez (2002, non-Islamic); Nicolás Maduro (2026, non-Islamic). | 2002: Alleged CIA support for coup plotters via meetings and signals. 2026: US airstrikes captured Maduro on narcoterrorism charges. | 2002: Failed, Chávez remained. 2026: Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed power. | President Delcy Rodríguez (since early 2026). | No. | No. | 2002 attempt failed; 2026 succeeded amid oil crisis; no Islamic elements. |
Note: This list focuses on cases with documented or alleged US/CIA involvement leading to successful regime changes (or significant shifts) since 2001, based on historical sources. Failed attempts like Syria (2005–2017: CIA funded opposition and rebels, but Bashar al-Assad remains; not Islamic before/now, though Islamist rebels rose) and Venezuela 2002 are noted where relevant. Speculative or recent 2026 events (e.g., Cuba: US-induced oil shortage for regime change; Iran: US/Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, aiming for change from Islamic regime) are included per sources but lack full details.
Summary on How/If Islam Benefited
US/CIA-involved regime changes since 2001 have often created power vacuums or instability that indirectly benefited Islamist groups, rather than directly installing them. For instance:
- In Afghanistan, the 2001 ouster removed the Taliban (Islamist), but withdrawal enabled their 2021 return, restoring a strict Islamic regime.
- In Iraq and Libya, secular dictators’ falls led to insurgencies where radical Islamists like ISIS gained temporary strongholds.
- In Somalia, deposing the ICU (Islamist) spawned Al-Shabaab, a more extreme Islamist militant group that still controls areas.
- In Palestine, efforts against Hamas (Islamist) solidified their Gaza control. Overall, Islam as a political/ideological force “benefited” in about half the cases through increased Islamist influence amid chaos, though initial goals were often anti-Islamist (e.g., post-9/11). No cases show direct US promotion of Islamic regimes; benefits were unintended consequences of destabilization.