ABSTRACT
Even the most nationally ambitious elites in the newly independent states recognize that a renewal and a consolidation of economic cooperation with Russia is essential to their well being. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), much like the former Soviet bloc, is a combination of Russian hegemony, many elements of cooperation, and of open as well as often hidden conflict. Joint efforts should be applied to achieve the further affirmation of the CIS as an influential regional organization and to establish broad and mutually advantageous cooperation with authoritative international forums and organizations at CIS levels. Ukraine's survival as an independent state, and especially its ability to draw a clear distinction between economic cooperation and political independence, will directly influence not only the future character of the CIS but perhaps even the self-definition of Russia. In turn, that would permit the evolution of the CIS into a more stable and cooperative system, minimizing some of the unavoidably enduring elements of conflict.
