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The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was designed to manage the collapse of the Soviet Union and foster post-Soviet cooperation in political, economic, and security spheres. Over a decade into its existence, most analysts would rate it a failure: many post-Soviet states do not participate in CIS ventures, the institutional machinery of the CIS is weak, and Russia, the most dominant post-Soviet state, has tended to favour bi-lateral relationships over multi-lateral institutions. Why is this the case? This article looks at the CIS through the prism of theories of regionalism, demonstrating that the CIS was handicapped on many fronts, including emergent multi-polarity in the post-Soviet space and domestic-level political considerations in many post-Soviet states.

This article explores geopolitical rivalry in the Caspian Basin, driven in large measure by the desire to control and exploit energy resources. It focuses in particular on actions by Russia, China, and the United States. While outside actors play an important role in the region, local states have demonstrated that they are not merely passive players. They have managed, in many cases, to use the ‘geopolitical pluralism’ of great power competition to gain room to maneuver. The result is a complicated picture of geopolitical balance. Looking ahead, however, China may be in the best position to assume the pre-eminent role in the region.

This paper applies the concept of delegative democracy to contemporary developments in Russia and Ukraine. They qualify as examples of this phenomenon insofar as leaders in these states are elected by the people but use their democratic legitimacy to justify authoritarian behavior. Factors which contribute to this trend are a deep socioeconomic crisis, existent political culture, and a lack of institutions to safeguard democratic norms. While recog nizing the various arguments endorsing this solution, this paper concludes that this form of rule is unlikely to live up to its promises and ultimately undermines the emergence of a representative, pluralist democracy.