ABSTRACT
Kazakhstan’s response to the changing nuclear order appears similar to other non-Western, non-nuclear-armed states. Kazakh officials pursue a dual focus on nuclear disarmament and the spread of civilian nuclear technologies and have a proactive track record in supporting the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. It is home to a Low-Enriched Uranium Fuel Bank designed to guarantee access to nuclear fuel for civilian applications and is a member of the Central Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone after giving up Soviet nuclear weapons in the 1990s. Kazakhstan is one of the few states that maintain significant economic, military and strategic relations with Russia, the United States, China, the EU and Iran, but the complex global landscape is putting leaders in Astana in an uncomfortable position. Given that Kazakhstan is an actor whose continuing cooperation with the United States is crucial for the denial of nuclear technologies to the South Asian “arc of proliferation,” the loss of Kazakh strategic autonomy will have significant implications for the wider nuclear order.
