Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States deals with the twelve independent republics that became members of the Commonwealth of Independent States following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1992.

The eleven republics which constitute the membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States have much in common, in spite of their many different languages, religions and cultures. All were part of the Russian Empire for at least a century; all were part of the Soviet Union from its inception. Perhaps most important, their economic and political cultures were essentially formed during the communist era as a part of the industrialization that guided the Soviet State in the 74 years of its existence.

How do the former Soviet republics that now constitute the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) interact with each other and with other regional and world powers? What are the conceptual foundations, mechanisms, and main directions of each member state's foreign policy? What role do economic and political factors play? Answering these questions and more in this systematic, comprehensive survey, a team of in-country experts sheds important light on the complex regional and international interactions of the CIS states in the twenty-first century.

Surveying all referendums around the world since 1793, Dr Qvortrup and contributors provide a thorough account of why and when citizens have been asked to vote on policy issues. Referendums Around the World is essential reading for political scientists and others interested in direct democracy as well as representative government.

The year 2016 marks the 25th anniversary of the official inauguration of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a free association of sovereign states comprised of Russia and 11 other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union (The CIS--Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine; the South Caucasus--Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia plus disconnected Abkhazia and South Ossetia; and Central Asia--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Although this loose association of states may not exist as a fixed-entity on the globe, it is believed that this bloc of countries will continue to build upon the various separate regions in the former Soviet space in the coming decade. Despite major differences country-to-country, groups within each state share many common economic, political, and cultural characteristics, which many hope will fade with the passing of those generations that remember the common state. In this context, the Russian Federation holds a unique position in the Euro-Pacific area. Separate, distinct, but still bordering these regions and related to all of them to differing degrees, in the 2010s Russia will step up efforts to become an independent center of gravity in Northern Eurasia. Leaning on its CIS allies and partners, Moscow is willing to fortify its stance vis-à-vis its geopolitical competitors--the European Union in the west, and China in the east. Nevertheless, the combination of factors that determined the plunge in the economy of the CIS since the second quarter of 2015 persists today. These factors included the sharp fall in commodities prices, restrictions on access to international capital markets due to sanctions against Russia and a deceleration in China, which is the region's main trading partner. Although economic conditions in most of the CIS economies are challenging, differences in growth dynamics persist. Oil and gas exporting countries, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan, are seeing economic conditions deteriorating rapidly because of the sharp fall in energy prices. Meanwhile, most of the labor-exporting countries (Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Tajikistan) are seeing the deterioration in growth rates, mainly due to strong production in the agricultural sector and, in some cases, increased activity in the extractive sector. This book provides a regional analysis, as well as country scan, of the CIS regional block economies. We will examine their history since the breakup of the formal Soviet Union and the formation of the CIS bloc, including creation of regional agreements such as the CIS Free Trade Area and the Eurasian Economic Union, a single economic market which now represents more than 180 million people. As a whole, our text attempts to better understand current, and future, prospects for economic growth in the region, as well as their individual national challenges.

The former Soviet republics of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) generate a significant and growing amount of work for the major Western and CIS regional international arbitral institutions. This book, a country-by-country analysis of regulation and practice of international arbitration in ten CIS jurisdictions, offers the first comprehensive review of commercial arbitration in the region. It also analyses notable developments in the use of arbitration mechanisms contained in bilateral and multilateral investment treaties affecting the region. The book provides not only a detailed analysis of the law, but also insight from local practitioners into the culture of arbitration and how the law is applied in each jurisdiction. Jurisdictions covered include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In addition to detailed discussion of the particular features of arbitral practice in each jurisdiction, contributions cover the following issues and topics: • arbitrability of disputes and public policy; • arbitral procedure; • recognition and enforcement of commercial and investor-state arbitration awards; • implementation of the UNCITRAL Model Law and other instruments affecting arbitral practice and procedure; • statistics from key arbitration institutions; • adherence to the ICSID, New York and key regional conventions relevant to arbitration; • relevant regulations, cases as well as applicable bilateral investment treaties; • law and practice related to investor-state arbitration; and • role of the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union. An informative introductory chapter provides detailed discussion and analysis of historic and current trends affecting arbitration practice among the CIS countries, including the role of regional conventions relatively unknown in the West. As a comprehensive overview of international arbitration in this burgeoning region, this book has no peers. It is sure to be highly valued and used by lawyers, arbitrators, and academics concerned with alternative dispute resolution, as well as by arbitration institutions, companies, states, and individuals engaged in arbitration.

This book focuses on the difficulties facing Russia, Ukraine and Belarus with regard to their integration into both the CIS and the encroaching EU. It analyzes the links between the integration mechanisms of the CIS and EU and the various state policies towards, and the elite interests in, the territory of the former Soviet Union.