Hybrid War and Colour Revolutions in Hong Kong: A Means to Achieve Regime Change in China?

Abstract

Abstract Where the limits of today’s international order prevent direct and costly confrontations between great powers, hybrid war allows for the manipulation of situations from afar to achieve desired outcomes, such as through Colour Revolutions. While the concept of hybrid war has been thoroughly researched in the context of foreign interventions in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, there is no substantial literature applied to the case of Hong Kong. This article investigates China’s claims that there was a ‘black hand’ behind Hong Kong’s protests – specifically the 2014 Umbrella Movement, 2019 Anti-elab protests, and 2020 nsl protests – determining the extent and role of foreign forces there. Using a set of theoretical propositions derived from a theoretical framework and a narrative explanation of how factors affect mobilisation in social movements, a macro-causal analysis about the role of external forces in Hong Kong is determined. Ultimately, this article alludes to the fact that the U.S. and other foreign forces are waging a hybrid war against China, utilising the Hong Kong social movements to achieve indirect regime change.