Commonwealth+of+Independent+States


 * History**

The CIS was established on December 8, 1991 upon the breakup of the Soviet Union. The founding members of the CIS were Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The aim of the CIS was to influence the realms of trade, finance, lawmaking, and security in the former Soviet republics following the breakup of the U.S.S.R., as well as to promote democratization and crime prevention across the borders of CIS member states. Though the CIS was created in order to be a loose association of former Soviet republics rather than a binding supranational union like the European Union, there have been efforts by some member states of the CIS to establish a common market entitled the Eurasian Economic Community. For more information, go to [].

**Member States**



The most influential member of the CIS is undoubtedly Russia. However, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine have the three largest economies of the CIS, excluding Russia, and thus hold a lot of weight in the organization.


 * Purposes/Goals/Objectives **

For the most part, the CIS is a primarily symbolic organization that unites the former Soviet republics following the breakup of the Soviet Union. However, it does aim to support cooperation, democratization, and crime prevention across all borders of CIS member states. Some member states of the CIS established the Eurasian Economic Community to create a common market among them.


 * Structure **

Within the CIS, there are groups of states that are more inclined to group up with each other rather than with other states. Therefore, different organizations, committees and supranational cooperations exist between different states within the CIS.

CISFTA is a free trade agreement between member states of the CIS. However, not all CIS member states participate in this free trade agreement. Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan opted out of the agreement.

Another economic cooperation of some CIS member states exists in the Eurasian Economic Community, or EAEC. The EAEC consists of the states of Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The EAEC is currently working on initiating a common energy market and more efficiently using water in Central Asia. The Organization of Central Asian Cooperation is comprised of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. Similarly to the EAEC, the OCAC collaborated on economic issues in OCAC member states. On January 25, 2006, these two similar organizations merged together.

The Common Economic Space was a plan between Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan to unify the economies of these states to one singular organization very similar to that of EU. Eventually, the Common Economic Space would have only one currency and other CIS member states could be added to the Common Economic Space. However, as Ukraine curved further and further towards joining the EU, Ukraine dropped itself from the creation of the Common Economic Space, thus destroying the agreement. Nonetheless, in 2010, a Customs Union of Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan was created with common goals of the Common Economic Space.

The only non-economic organization of the CIS is the CSTO, or Collective Security Treaty Organization. The militaristic organization was founded on May 15, 1992. It’s current members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The CSTO establishes that all participating member states of the CSTO abstain from using force or forcible threats. Also, any act of aggression towards a member of the CSTO is seen as an act of aggression upon every member of the CSTO and will be regarded as such. The CSTO aims toward creating a peacekeeping force within its own member states, as well as surrounding states.

Within the CIS, certain states clearly have supremacy over others. In the past and present, the dominant state of the region is and was Russia. However, the growing economies of Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan have set these states apart as influential members of the CIS. For more information, go to the official site of the CIS: ** []. **




 * Advantages of Joining **

If a state is a former Soviet republic, it may have much to gain from joining the CIS. It can receive economic and possibly militaristic support from strong states in the region, which would further develop that state. Since former Soviet republics are often seen as pariah states in the eyes of Western Europe, it may be beneficial to reunite with more ethnically similar states that may be found in the CIS. Also, the CIS is much less binding or constrictive than the EU, which strongly links its member states economically rather than encourage ideals or concepts.


 * Disadvantages of Joining **

Joining the CIS can also be a risky gamble for a state. If a state was to join the CIS, it would be effectively ending discussions of entering the EU or working Western European powers at all. The CIS is not binding, so it is entirely possible that if a state’s economy were to utterly crash, that state could be thrown out of the coalition in order to save the remaining members of the CIS from devastation as well. Also, seeing that former collaborations of these states (most notably, the U.S.S.R.) did not work cohesively or effectively in the past, it may not work again in the future. In addition, if a state does not wish to be heavily influenced by Russia, it would most likely not benefit that state to joing the CIS, since it is dominated by Russia.


 * Effects on Local Diversity **

The CIS most definitely challenges local diversity. It aims to reunify the states that formerly comprised the Soviet Union in a less formal manner. However, Russian is often strongly encouraged to be used as an official language in every CIS member state and to be expanded within the CIS. Also, some states of the CIS are forming a common economic union which would result in the implementation of only one currency across participating states. In addition, the CISFTA would expand the trade of products from differing states in the CIS, thus introducing products from other states into differing states. Due to the dominance of Russia in the CIS, Russian ideals and cultural traits will be diffused to other CIS member states, and therefore limiting local diversity and culture of non-Russian states.

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Retrieved from: [].

About Commonwealth of Independent States. Retrieved from: ** []. **