Stephen Kinzer's book "Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq" explores a series of four coups executed by the United States against governments that, despite their flaws, were relatively democratic. South Vietnam is noted as a potential exception to this characterization, yet the overall trend remains clear. Each coup resulted in the replacement of these governments with authoritarian regimes.

The implications of these actions are significant, as they illustrate a pattern where the U.S. intervened in foreign democracies, often justifying such actions under the guise of promoting stability or democracy, but instead facilitating the rise of oppressive governments. Kinzer's analysis sheds light on the long-lasting consequences of these interventions on both the affected nations and U.S. foreign policy.