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{
  "authors": [
    "Togzhan Kassenova"
  ],
  "type": "other",
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  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
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  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
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Source: Getty

Other

Kazakhstan and the Global Nuclear Order

Kazakhstan’s advanced nuclear industry and active foreign nuclear policy make it a significant player on the global nuclear scene.

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By Togzhan Kassenova
Published on Sep 29, 2014
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Nuclear Policy

The Nuclear Policy Program aims to reduce the risk of nuclear war. Our experts diagnose acute risks stemming from technical and geopolitical developments, generate pragmatic solutions, and use our global network to advance risk-reduction policies. Our work covers deterrence, disarmament, arms control, nonproliferation, and nuclear energy.

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Source: Central Asian Affairs

Kazakhstan’s role in the global nuclear order is far from minor. Blessed with abundant uranium resources, it is the world’s largest uranium producer. Kazakhstan’s nuclear sector made a major comeback after facing collapse in the early 1990s when the Soviet Union disintegrated. The state-owned company Kazatomprom has been gradually pursuing an advanced nuclear fuel cycle, including the capacity to produce nuclear fuel. Further, Kazakhstan is the only country in Central Asia that has made a firm commitment to developing nuclear energy.

On the international scene, Kazakhstan’s nuclear diplomacy is rather ambitious as well. The country hosted Iranian nuclear talks in 2013 and will host the international nuclear fuel bank expected to be launched in 2015. These are just a couple of recent examples that confirm that Kazakhstan is seeking a greater role for itself in global nuclear politics....

Read the full text of this article, originally published in Central Asian Affairs, BRILL, volume 1, 2014. 

About the Author

Togzhan Kassenova
Togzhan Kassenova

Former Nonresident Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program

Kassenova was a nonresident fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    How Kazakhstan Fought Back Against Soviet Nuclear Tests
      • Togzhan Kassenova

      Togzhan Kassenova

  • Report
    Perspectives on the Evolving Nuclear Order
      • Togzhan Kassenova

      Toby Dalton, Togzhan Kassenova, Lauryn Williams

Togzhan Kassenova
Former Nonresident Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program
Togzhan Kassenova
Nuclear PolicyCentral AsiaKazakhstan

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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