Russian in International Relations

[Name] [Course] [Institution] [Professor] [Date] The commonwealth of independent states was nations formed when the Soviet Union, now known as Russia dissolved completely in 1991. It is a group of states that work together on a large list of mutual issues including defense, foreign policy and economics. The commonwealth possesses nominal powers in coordination of trade, security, lawmaking and finance. The group continues to integrate further with the intention of creating a common market, for instance by the creation of the Eurasian Community. Russia for a while has attempted to maintain a presence in this. These nations heavily depend on resources like oil which they buy from mostly Russian owned firms. The prices of these resources are heavily controlled in Moscow. Russia also continues its push to make Russian an official language in these countries in an attempt to maintain influence. Russia continues to step up its efforts to become an independent center of gravity in Northern Eurasia. Leaning on its allies in the CIS, she is willing to strengthen her against its geo-political competitors comprised of China to its south, and the European Union to its west. How Russia can strengthen its position in the Commonwealth of Independent States For the foreseeable future, the commonwealth remains Russia`s foreign policy priority significantly. The main way in which Russia has been trying to strengthen its position in the CIS region is through three dimensions: politically, economically and militarily. Politically, Russia continues to support and bolster governments and leaders who are inclined and supportive towards its interests, and continues to establish closer ties to these states. In economics and energy relations, Russia has attempted to take up a position of the dominant energy supplier and distributor, not only in the commonwealth of independent states but also in the larger Europe. It has been strengthening its hold on the transport and distribution networks into an almost monopoly. Russia can also strengthen its presence in the CIS region by the use of its military prowess and national security support. Russia gives prominence to the collective Security treaty it signed with the CIS nations in the early 90s and continues to work closely with these nations in counter-terrorism, intelligence and border-security issues. Currently, Russia maintains military bases in several CIS nations like Moldova, South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia. This way, Russia maintains a strong presence in the region and is able to protect and further its interests. Lately, Russia has been moving away from the imperial tactics of maintaining a presence in the CIS region. Trade is now the center stage of relations that it is taking preference of. The common Economic Space is an example of a program that brings together Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus in terms of trade. A common Customs Union for the three nations is also being spearheaded by the Russians. A conglomerate of these strategies: political, economically, military and trade in appropriate portions of concentration is sure guaranteed to help Russia strengthen its position in this region. The role of the European Union in the ‘Contested Neighborhood` The European Union has introduced the Technical Aid for the Commonwealth of Independent States, to aid their transition to democratic market-oriented states. The program, initiated in 1991, aims at giving technical assistance to these nations by the European Union. The European Union should continue in its quest to...