Military Cooperation Among the CIS Countries As an Element of Their National Security

Abstract

The comprehensive elaboration of a conception of Russia's national security requires a clear vision of the prospects of the Russian Federation's military policy in the post-Soviet space. This article is an attempt to answer a key question in determining the course of that policy: what form should collective military cooperation within the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] take, and to what extent is it possible to safeguard the national security interests of both the Russian Federation and other Commonwealth countries? This question is analyzed on the basis of practical experience with collective security within the CIS, also taking into account contemporary theories of political, military-political, and military-strategic alliances among nations.