Melissa Willard-Foster is an associate professor of political science at the University of Vermont and author of Toppling Foreign Governments: The Logic of Regime Change (Penn Press, 2019). Her book explains why policymakers turn to regime change, despite its dubious record of success. Based on a study of 133 cases of foreign-imposed regime change and in-depth historical research, she finds that the same conditions that make foreign leaders difficult to coerce—their domestic political vulnerability—also make them appear susceptible to overthrow. Her current project examines whether American presidents’ foreign policy choices reflect their campaign promises.

Professor Willard-Foster holds degrees from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, the University of Chicago, and UCLA. Before coming to UVM, she was an ISP fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs. She teaches classes on international relations, international security, and foreign military intervention