The Socio-economic Preconditions And Consequences Of “Color Revolutions”

Abstract

This article addresses the underlying socio-economic causes of “color revolutions” and the consequences that states have had to endure after coups d’état had been effectively carried out on their territory. The authors point out that in reality unresolved domestic problems — first of all economic — do not constitute a determining factor in the implementation of a “color revolution” scenario: most of the “color revolutions” took place in states that showed sustained economic growth rather than in countries with backward economies. After the coups, those countries saw a decline in most key macroeconomic indicators. The authors conclude that in the case of the post-Soviet space, the series of “color revolutions” came about as a result of a synthesis of interests pursued by national financial and industrial groups (oligarchs) and the interests of external actors who could achieve their geopolitical and geoeconomic objectives by dismantling “inconvenient” political regimes.

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