Kazakhstan stands as an important case study of nuclear reversal. Yet most accounts of this case merely highlight the return of the nuclear weapons left on Kazakh territory to Russia. Left out are the human dimensions of this story. In Atomic Steppe,Toghzan Kassenova artfully weaves together first-hand accounts and archival data into a rich accounting of a tumultuous period.

China and Russia are navigating the choppy waters of global diplomacy, as tensions rise with Europe and the United States. Russia’s pivot to the East comes after relations with the European Union broke down following the conflict in Ukraine.