subversions

Subversions refers to the act or process of undermining the authority, legitimacy, or stability of a government, institution, or social order. The plural form is used to describe multiple incidents or campaigns in which an actor seeks to weaken or replace established power structures without overt conquest. The term derives from the Latin subversio, meaning to overturn.

In political science and international relations, subversion is often distinguished from open conflict or coercion; it emphasizes covert, indirect, or gradual pressure aimed at eroding legitimacy, fracturing coalitions, or altering policy directions. Subversion can involve state or non-state actors and may target political parties, security services, media, civil society, or economic systems. Tools commonly associated with subversion include propaganda or disinformation, influence operations, financial leverage, covert support to opposition groups, and attempts to exploit legal or administrative mechanisms. Because subversion tends to operate below the threshold of overt violence, it is frequently subject to debate about legality, ethics, and sovereignty.

Historically, many governments and organizations have cited subversion as part of internal security narratives or foreign policy strategies. In scholarly discourse, subversion is analyzed as part of broader strategies of deterrence, regime stability, or political transition, depending on the perspective of the actor and the affected community.

See also: political subversion, national security, irregular warfare.