Purple Revolution

Purple Revolution is a term that some have given to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship in Iraq and the coming of democracy to the nation. The name is after the Colour revolutions trend of democratic revolutionary movements in authoritarian states -- the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon are three examples. In this context, the "purple" stands for the ink-stain marking the index fingers of first-time voters in the Iraqi legislative election (the semi-permanent stain was to prevent fradulent multiple voting).

The term may have been coined by U.S. President George W. Bush during his visit to Bratislava, Slovak Republic for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bush stated: "In recent times, we have witnessed landmark events in the history of liberty: A Rose Revolution in Georgia, an Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and now, a Purple Revolution in Iraq."