Re-Examining the Collective Security Treaty Organization

The lower house of Uzbekistan's parliament passed a new foreign policy strategy Aug. 1, banning foreign military bases on Uzbek territory and de-emphasizing membership in any military alliances. This comes only a month after Uzbekistan suspended its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization. These developments, among others, have put the spotlight on the CSTO, the military bloc comprising the former Soviet states of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and (until recently) Uzbekistan. The Russian-led CSTO was designed as a vehicle for Moscow to build its security influence in member countries and boost its image and position in relation to the West, but whether the bloc has achieved or truly can achieve either goal is still an open question.