This work brings together major accords and protocols that form the institutional framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). It includes a selection of policy statements, and a chronological record of political, economic, and military developments in CIS "hot spots".

 Introduction - Last Gasp or Renewal. Part 1 The Reorganisation of an Empire: The Union Treaty Fails; Three Plus Eight - from USSR to CIS. Part 2 The Grand Debates - Whither, Whether and What?: Russia's "Great Power" Debate; Foreign Policy in the Non-Russian States; The Ukranian Perspective; Alternative Confederal Concepts; The Debate on Economic Integration; On Constitutional and Parliamentary Processes; The Military Debate. Part 3 The Formal Structure of the CIS: Introduction; Major CIS Structural Agreements and Protocols. Part 4 CIS "Hot Spots" (Chronologies of Key Events): Introduction; The Chechnya Conflict (1994-95); The Georgian-Abkhazian Conflict; The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict; The Moldovan/"Dniester Republic" Conflict; The Tajikistan Conflict. Part 5 Chronologies of Key CIS Developments: Introduction; 1992; 1993; 1994; 1995 (January-June). Part 6 Conclusion: The Russian Bloc - Hegemony, Cooperation and Conflict. Appendices.