The word 'cis-' is correct and usable in written English.
It is a prefix that means "on the same side" or "on this side" and is commonly used in scientific and technical terminology. Example: The molecule has two cis- double bonds, creating a symmetrical structure. In this example, the prefix 'cis-' is used to describe the position of the double bonds on the same side in the molecule's structure.
But if Mr Yeltsin does want to persuade Ukraine, and other CIS countries, that Russia has no desire to dominate them, then dictating their security policies is not the way to go about it.
If Kazakhstan, for instance, were to join it, Russia could have no hope left of controlling oil and gas flows from beneath and around the Caspian Sea, one of the treasure troves of the coming century.On balance, the best CIS policy for Russia would be a simple one: ease up a little.
The trouble will come if other CIS countries are doing much better than Russia in normalising their economies.
Next comes the foreign policy of the foreign ministry, which under Mr Primakov has cultivated ties with the developing world, especially Soviet-era friends there, and has kept a beady eye on the CIS.
CIS observers said the Azerbaijani poll met the "highest standards".
Most CIS countries are in the early stages of economic recovery.
If Mr Yeltsin has indeed been jolted into addressing all or any of those issues, then NATO can claim some of the credit.When Russia made hostility towards NATO's enlargement a loyalty-test for its allies, it found to its chagrin that many CIS countries were hedging their bets.
Such a grouping would be capable of challenging Russian dominance over the southern rim of the CIS.
There is the Russian army, scarcely under civilian control, whose troops and bases in the CIS have been useful for deniable adventures there.
It has also probably contributed to the mixed progress on political and institutional reform.Since 1999, in particular, these seven countries have benefited from strong growth in Russia and the Ukraine; even before that, they were doing better than most other CIS countries, but from a much weaker base.
The "average" MP tends to be, in McCarthy's words, "white, middle age, middle class, able bodied, cis-gendered, heterosexual, business-orientated, men".
