Analysis of the second wave of democratic transition in Eastern and Central Europe’s “color revolutions” has tended to focus on causal variables such as regional diffusion, leadership strategy, and popular protest. Yet it may be inaccurate to describe the postcommunist authoritarian turnovers the region has witnessed as part of a “wave”; longer-term variables such as state and party capacity and the strength of a country’s connection to the West may held shed light on why certain countries have experienced such revolutions while others have not.