The Confederation of Independent North American States (CINAS) or simply known as the Confederation of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization whose participating countries are former US States, formed during the breakup of the United States. The CIS is a loose association of states and a confederation. Although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is aimed at being more than a purely symbolic organization, nominally possessing coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking, and security. It has also promoted co-operation on cross-border crime prevention. Some of the members of the CIS have established the American Economic Community with the aim of creating a full-fledged common market.