Putin Fights to Preserve Russia’s Fading Influence in Central Asia

Back in 1991, the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States placed the final nail in the Soviet Union’s coffin. Since then, the CIS itself has proven mostly moribund, falling far short of fulfilling the aims outlined in its 1993 charter. The results of the recent CIS summit in Turkmenistan, marking the 35th anniversary of its formation, offered more of the same, featuring lots of empty rhetoric about the organization’s relevance and happy talk about its future. Russian leader Vladimir Putin was perhaps the CIS’ biggest…