Politics
In politics, a regime is the form of government: the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of government and its interactions with society.
Modern usage
While the word regime originates as a synonym for any form of government, modern usage often gives the term a negative connotation, implying an authoritarian government or dictatorship. Webster's definition states that the word regime refers simply to a form of government, while Oxford English Dictionary defines regime as "a government, especially an authoritarian one". Nowadays the political use the word regime is most commonly applied to any government that is most of the time not democratically elected and imposes strict and often arbitrary rules and laws on the people that are, because of the undemocratic nature of the government, non-negotiable.
International regime
International political use of regime concerns international regulatory agencies (see International regime), which lie outside of the control of national governments. These have more power over a greater range than postal or telecommunications agreements, for example, and constrain national governments.
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