Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): An Emerging Model of Regional Security

Based on sovereign equality and the growth of friendship, interethnic harmony, trust, mutual understanding, and collaboration between nations, the Commonwealth of Independent nations (CIS) was established. Through the maintenance of unified command over military-strategic forces and nuclear weapon control, the CIS sought to assure international strategic stability and security. During the collapse of the USSR, Russia's Near Abroad foreign policy undermined the CIS. Nonetheless, the CIS offers tremendous advantages to its members, such as the ability to coordinate commerce, finance, lawmaking, and security.