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The Arms Control Poseur
Better know a non-nuke: Kazakhstan
Season 5, Ep. 8
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In this week’s episode of The Arms Control Primer, Dr Alexander Bollfrass speaks with Dr Togzhan Kassenova about Kazakhstan’s legacy as the Soviet Union’s primary nuclear testing site, the human and environmental toll at Semipalatinsk, and the political decision to relinquish the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal.
They explore Kazakhstan’s path from inheriting over 1,000 warheads to joining the NPT, shaping the Budapest Memorandum, and championing the TPNW and what its experience means for today’s nuclear risk debates.
📩 Join the conversation—follow us on X (@IISS_org), LinkedIn or Instagram (iissorg) or visit the webpage of our Strategy, Technology and Arms Control research programme: Strategy, Technology and Arms Control | IISS Research programme
‘The Arms Control Primer’ is a podcast series produced by the IISS Strategy, Technology and Arms Control Programme on behalf of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium
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