Currently, despotic regimes can last virtually forever due to the near impossibility of their citizen/prisoners ever getting the power to overthrow them.
Look at North Korea, Syria, Cuba.
Even Muammar Gaddafi, despite being a demented whacko, was able to stay in power for decades.
All you need is a bunch of guns and the willingness to use them without hesitation to suppress any hint of desent.
In the interest of ending oppression, what if the United States offered territory status to the citizens of such nations by vote?
With some level of access to the internet or some other communication method, citizens of the nation in question could vote yes or no. If yes, the current government is politely asked to step aside. If they don't, that's when the Big Stick comes in handy.
Sounds radical, but the current state of much of the world is deplorable and generally a risk to the peace and stability of the more civilized nations.
Such a solution would help put the world on a positive path as technology becomes more powerful and prevalent; technology that could otherwise be used against us with cataclysmic results.
A good example of a possible relation is Puerto Rico. It's a US territory and likely to become a state eventually.
From Wikipedia:
Today, people born in Puerto Rico are natural-born U.S. citizens.[17] The territory operates under a local constitution, and Puerto Ricans elect their own governor. However, Puerto Rico lacks voting members in Congress and is subject to the plenary jurisdiction of the United States under the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950. As of 2015, Puerto Rico remains a U.S. territory, although a 2012 referendum showed a majority (54% of the electorate) in favor of a change in status, with full statehood the preferred option.
Altho it's history is not an example of what I'm proposing, the status as a territory was stable and mutually beneficial. It shows that worries that an 'adopted nation' will allow political access to our enemies is unfounded.
It can be understood from the perspective of a corporate takeover. The old incompetent management gets booted and a proven successful system is installed.
It seems to me that the current practice of invading a terrorist infested nation, or aiding rebels against a failing regime ( Afganistan, Iraq, Libya) and then leaving them to fight over the rubble doesn't usually work out very well for the majority of the inhabitants. More likely than not, whatever strongman or religious group that has the most guns will end up in control.
Offering a ready made system of government, perhaps even better designed than what has evolved here, is certainly better than any military regime, theocracy, or dictatorship.