established - 31 December 1931
aim - to foster multinational cooperation and assistance, as a
voluntary association that evolved from the British Empire
members - (54) Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica,
Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya,
Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, NZ, Nigeria, Pakistan (suspended), Papua
New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon
Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad
and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe (suspended)
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): established - 8 December
1991; effective - 21 December 1991
aim - to coordinate intercommonwealth relations and to provide a
mechanism for the orderly dissolution of the USSR
members - (12) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,
Uzbekistan
Communist countries: traditionally the Marxist-Leninist states with
authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet
model; most of the original and the successor states are no longer
Communist; see centrally planned economies
Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM): established in 1949
to control the export of strategic products and technical data from
member countries to proscribed destinations; members were Australia,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan,
Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK, US;
abolished 31 March 1994; COCOM members established a new organization,
the Wassenaar Arrangement, with expanded membership on 12 July 1996
which focuses on nonproliferation export controls as opposed to East-
West control of advanced technology
Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA): note - also known as
CMEA or Comecon
established 25 January 1949 to promote the development of socialist
economies and abolished 1 January 1991; members included Afghanistan
(observer), Albania (had not participated since 1961 break with USSR),
Angola (observer), Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia (observer),
GDR, Hungary, Laos (observer), Mongolia, Mozambique (observer),
Nicaragua (observer), Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yemen (observer),
Yugoslavia (associate)
Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU): established - 3 June 1957;
effective - 30 May 1964
aim - to promote economic integration among Arab nations
members - (10 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Egypt, Iraq,
Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Syria, UAE, Yemen,
Palestine Liberation Organization
Council of Europe (CE): established - 5 May 1949; effective - 3 August
1949
aim - to promote increased unity and quality of life in Europe
members - (44) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK
guests - (1) Serbia and Montenegro
observers - (6) Canada, Holy See, Israel, Japan, Mexico, US