Speaker:
Togzhan Kassenova – PhD, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Policy Research at the University at Albany (SUNY Albany), specializing in nuclear policy, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the prevention of illicit financing of weapons programs. Author of the book Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb (Stanford University Press, 2022
Presentation Title: Atomic Steppe: The Nuclear History of Kazakhstan from Soviet Nuclear Testing to Nuclear Disarmament
Moderator: Li Marina – WINCA Webinars Coordinator
Description: During the webinar, participants were introduced to Togzhan Kassenova’s book Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up Nuclear Weapons. The book reveals a little-known chapter of Kazakhstan’s nuclear history — from the Soviet era to the present day. It is divided into two parts. The first part covers the construction of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, Soviet nuclear testing, the devastating impact on people and the environment, and the movement to close the site. The second part focuses on the events that took place in Kazakhstan before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and how the historic decision to renounce nuclear weapons was made — and more importantly, implemented. The book draws on interviews with diplomats, civil society leaders, activists, scientists, and victims of nuclear testing, as well as archival materials.
