The Commonwealth of Independent States, 1991-1998: Stagnation and Survival
Author(s)
Sakwa, Richard; Webber, Mark
Abstract
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) may have survived but its functional and organizational development has been a failure. The CIS has secured independence for its 12 member states but differences in the conception of the scope and function of the organization have resulted in a lack of collaborative effort in military matters, peacekeeping, and security. Sectoral cooperation to create a common economic space has also failed, and states are pursuing their own bilateral and multilateral ties, further fragmenting the organization. Finally, the CIS has also been hampered by a lack of regional membership, and there is a polarization of opinions, with each state more interested in its own affairs than the commonwealth’s as a whole.
