Attitude of the US Congress to the Nuclear Disarmament of Kazakhstan (1991-2001)

The collapse of the USSR entailed a large number of problems and uncertainties for millions of people around the world. One of the potential dangers posed by the consequences of the Belovezhsky agreements was the threat of nuclear proliferation. Kazakhstan was one of the four republics that inherited part of the Soviet nuclear arsenal. For many reasons, the US administration expressed a direct interest in nuclear disarmament of the young Central Asian republic and was ready to take a direct part in the process of nuclear disarmament of this country, which was also true of Ukraine and Belarus. Such determined intent and consistent action distinguished the White House's approach to disarmament of Kazakhstan from that of a number of other non-nuclear club countries, such as Israel and Pakistan. The legislative branch - represented by the US Congress - supported the administration in this matter, despite the traditional confrontation between the branches of government and the era of divided government under the administration of W. Clinton. The disarmament of Kazakhstan was a task for the United States that went beyond the interest of national security in its direct meaning. The purpose of the study is to identify the attitude of American congressional representatives to the topic of nuclear disarmament of Kazakhstan. Conclusions. The author concluded that the US Congress supported the presidential administration's efforts to nuclear disarmament Kazakhstan, but only in cases where the solution to this issue did not depend on American parliamentarians. Otherwise, there was no absolute consensus in Congress.

the US, Kazakhstan, Congress, nuclear weapon, Nunn-Lugar Program