Authored by Kevin Finn via AmericanThinker.com,

A "color revolution" (sometimes called a "soft coup" or "regime-change operation by non-kinetic means") is a modern form of orchestrated political upheaval designed to replace an existing government without traditional military invasion or civil war. The term arose from events in the early 2000s, such as Serbia's Bulldozer Revolution (2000) and Georgia's Rose Revolution (2003). 

These operations follow a remarkably consistent playbook, refined over two decades by Western NGOs, intelligence-linked foundations, and State Department-affiliated entities (Open Society Foundations, USAID, etc.).

Authors describe seven stages of a color revolution.