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Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Definition

The CIS is a regional intergovernmental organization of nine members, and two founding non-member states, formed during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Analogy

Think of CIS as a group project in school where everyone used to be part of one big team (the Soviet Union), but now they're working independently while still sharing resources and information.

Related terms

Soviet Union: A federal socialist state in Northern Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. It was a multiethnic state with diverse ethnic groups.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The process of disintegration within the USSR which began with growing unrest in its various constituent republics developing into an incessant political and legislative conflict between the republics and the central government, and ended when the leaders of three primal republics declared it no longer existed, later accompanied by Russia's president Boris Yeltsin ending any chances of it surviving.

Inter-governmental Organization: An organization composed primarily of sovereign states (referred to as member states), or other intergovernmental organizations. They are established by treaty or other agreement that acts as a charter creating the group.