Commonwealth of Independent States

A Russian-led SUPRANATIONALIST organization.  A free association of sovereign  states formed in 1991, and comprising Russia and 11 other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. The Commonwealth had its origins on Dec. 8, 1991,  when the elected leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus (Belorussia) signed an agreement forming a new association to replace the crumbling Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). The three Slavic republics were subsequently joined by the Central Asian republics of Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, by the Transcaucasian republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and by Moldova. (The remaining former Soviet republics of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia declined to join the new organization.) The Commonwealth formally came into being on Dec. 21, 1991, and began operations the following month with the city of Minsk in Belarus designated as its administrative centre.

 The Commonwealth's functions are to coordinate its members' policies regarding their economies, foreign relations, defense, immigration policies, environmental protection, and law enforcement. Its top governmental body is a council composed of the member republics' heads of state (i.e., presidents) and of government (prime ministers), who are assisted by committees of republic cabinet ministers in key areas such as economics and defense. The Commonwealth's members pledged to keep both their armed forces and the former Soviet nuclear weapons stationed on their territories under a single unified command. In practice this is proving difficult, however, as did the members' efforts to coordinate the introduction of market-type mechanisms and private ownership into their respective economies.

Considering how the communist system centrally controlled all aspects of politics, defence and economics in these areas for 70 years, it was almost a necessity to form this organization after the demise of the soviet system.  The important thing to remember for the future is how much control Russia has over the -stan counties in Central Asia--much more control than they have over Eastern Europe considering the physical geography of the area.