Bangladesh, Nov. 1 -- US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard made waves this weekend by asserting that Washingtons decades-long foreign policy of “regime change” has finally come to an end under President Donald Trump. Speaking at the 21st Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Gabbard described what she called a “new era” in American diplomacy-one defined by pragmatic deal-making rather than military interventions. Yet her remarks have reignited fierce debate over whether the US has truly abandoned its historical playbook of overthrowing governments it deems hostile.

For more than half a century, the phrase “regime change” has been synonymous with US foreign policy. From the CIA-backed coups of the Cold War to the ...