Author | Lightnews

Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Sep 13

Earlier this summer, former U.S. Ambassador Richard Boucher, passed away. He'll be remembered as an astute observer of Central Asia.
Back in 2021, Ambassador Boucher contributed a personal essay to the Davis Center/Eurasianet series. Pls give it a read: daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/insights/whe...

Where Is Central Asia, Anyway?

A former top U.S. diplomat reflects on the many ways ex-Soviet Central Asia can be viewed from Washington — Russian dependency, Chinese sphere of influence, new global hub with links in all directions...

daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Aug 30

Thank you, dear @bojacobs.bsky.social!

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Aug 30

Thank you as always for your support, @nuclearanthro.bsky.social!

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Aug 30

Just in time for the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb is on sale for 50% off, at $16 from @stanfordpress.bsky.social

www.sup.org/books/politi...

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Aug 13

Thank you, @andrewfacini.com!

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Jul 18

How layoffs will affect the State Department and American diplomacy

www.npr.org/2025/07/17/n...

How layoffs will affect the State Department and American diplomacy

NPR's Steve Inskeep asks John Dinkelman, new president of the American Foreign Service Association, about how layoffs will affect the State Department and American diplomacy.

www.npr.org

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Jul 7

July 10, 12:30 PM ET - In-person (at capacity) and online (registration is still open).

More details and registration: www.armscontrol.org/From_Trinity...

Draft agenda: www.armscontrol.org/sites/defaul...

From Trinity to Today: Nuclear Weapons and the Way Forward | Arms Control Association

www.armscontrol.org

Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Jun 9

Online tomorrow, Tuesday, June 10, 11 AM ET - Self-Dealing in the Trump Administration: A Conversation With Norm Eisen.

carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...

Self-Dealing in the Trump Administration: A Conversation With Norm Eisen

Join Aaron David Miller as he engages in conversation with Norm Eisen, founder of Democracy Defenders Action and a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, on the next Carnegi...

carnegieendowment.org

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Reposted by Togzhan Kassenova

Ankit Panda @nktpnd.bsky.social · May 13

If you're in the DC area, please join me at the @carnegieendowment.org on May 22 for an event launching my new book, 'THE NEW NUCLEAR AGE: AT THE PRECIPICE OF ARMAGEDDON' (with @coreyah.bsky.social, @atomicbell.bsky.social, and @davidehoffman.bsky.social): carnegieendowment.org/events/2025/...

Has the World Arrived in a New Nuclear Age?

Russia is issuing threats of nuclear strikes, China and North Korea are growing their arsenals, and there are prospects for proliferation around the globe. Moreover, emerging technologies, including A...

carnegieendowment.org

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · May 14

A new entry in the Ambassadors' Series on Central Asia, published by @eurasianet.bsky.social, spearheaded by @nargiskassenova.bsky.social of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Allan Mustard on the use of shoe leather diplomacy in Turkmenistan.

eurasianet.org/memoir-recol...

Memoir: Recollecting the benefits of shoe leather diplomacy in Turkmenistan

Getting out, getting a feel for the place, and putting pins on a map.

eurasianet.org

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Apr 29

Apologies - only in person, but the recording should become available later.

Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Apr 28

Tomorrow, April 29, in person at GWU and online:
calendar.gwu.edu/event/naviga...

Navigating Geopolitical Shifts: Central Asia’s Quest for Autonomy and Sustainable Development

calendar.gwu.edu

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Apr 28

Tomorrow, April 29, in person at GWU and online:
calendar.gwu.edu/event/naviga...

Navigating Geopolitical Shifts: Central Asia’s Quest for Autonomy and Sustainable Development

calendar.gwu.edu

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Apr 28

A conversation with the IAEA's DG Rafael Grossi at #nukecon is now available online. I highly recommend it.

Iran, Zaporizhzhia NPP, peaceful nuclear energy, and much more...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKNQ...

A Keynote Conversation With Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi

YouTube video by Carnegie Endowment

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Togzhan Kassenova

Asel Doolotkeldieva @adoolotkeldieva.bsky.social · Apr 28

Have you been to Bozjyra, Mangystau region in Western Kazakhstan? Part of the ancient ocean Tetis. It's simply mind blowing. Mad Max, Furiosa and Dune are crying ))
I strongly recommend visiting this Marsian place! 🤍🩶

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Apr 2

"Sen. Cory Booker devoted all of Monday night and into Tuesday evening on the Senate floor, delivering an impassioned speech in protest of the Trump administration's policies. This effort [...] set a record for the longest speech on record given in the chamber."

www.npr.org/2025/04/01/n...

Cory Booker breaks a 68-year-old Senate record with a 25-hour speech

The New Jersey Democrat spent more than 25 hours criticizing the Trump administration's policies on immigration, education, the economy and more since 7 p.m. ET Monday. He ended his marathon speech sh...

www.npr.org

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 31

"On a desolate former nuclear test site, three generations confront the haunting legacy of the past as they fight for survival and hope in a world on the brink of destruction."

"We Live Here" by 🇰🇿 director Zhanana Kurmasheva is part of the CPH:DOX festival!

cphdox.dk/film/we-live...

We Live Here - CPH:DOX

On a desolate former nuclear test site, three generations confront the haunting legacy of the past as they fight for survival and hope in a world on the brink of destruction.

cphdox.dk

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Reposted by Togzhan Kassenova

Mariana Budjeryn @mbudjeryn.bsky.social · Mar 28

H-Diplo roundtable of my book is finally out! Grateful to Anna-Mart van Wyck, Valeria Hesse, and Mark Kramer for their reviews, to Polina Sinovets and Iryna Maksymenko for the introduction, and to Elisabeth Roehrlich and Diane Labrosse for guiding the process through to completion.

H-Diplo | RJISSF Roundtable 16-29 on Budjeryn, Inheriting the Bomb

28 March 2025 | PDF: https://issforum.org/to/jrt16-29 | Website: rjissf.org | X: @HDiplo Editor: Diane Labrosse Commissioning Editor: Elisabeth Roehrlich Production Editor: Christopher Ball Pre…

issforum.org

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 21

In the Face of Oppression, Feminist Resistance in Kazakhstan Persists
thediplomat.com/2025/03/in-t...

In the Face of Oppression, Feminist Resistance in Kazakhstan Persists

Kazakhstan’s feminist activists persist, despite formidable resistance from both the state and anti-feminist groups.

thediplomat.com

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 15

Woodrow Wilson Center 💔

Nicole Hemmer @pastpunditry.bsky.social · Mar 15

Gutted to see the Woodrow Wilson Center included in this. It has been a crucial institution in the production, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge about the history of the U.S. and the world. Its Cold War archives are a priceless teaching and research tool. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/u...

Trump Orders Gutting of 7 Agencies, Including Voice of America’s Parent (Gift Article)

The order targeting the agencies, largely obscure entities that address issues like labor mediation and homelessness prevention, appeared to test the bounds of the president’s power.

www.nytimes.com

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 15

Truth 🥹

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Reposted by Togzhan Kassenova

Anni Kangas @kangasanni.bsky.social · Mar 8

Ooo, tämä olisi mainiota saada nähtäväksi myös Suomeen!

Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 7

March 13, in person, Cambridge, MA. Thank you for this important contribution, @hellogera.bsky.social!:
daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/film-...

Film Screening: 'JARA — Radioactive Patriarchy: Women of Qazaqstan'

This film sheds light on the stories of six women from a nuclear-affected community in Kazakhstan. It explores topics such as technology-driven and state-sponsored gender-based violence, as well as th...

daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu

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Reposted by Togzhan Kassenova

Tereza Hendl @terezahendl.bsky.social · Mar 8

Hope to catch this film somewhere! "JARA — Radioactive Patriarchy: Women of Qazaqstan" is an independent documentary that unearths the tragic legacy of environmental destruction and human suffering caused by 40 years of Soviet nuclear testing on Qazaq land.

Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 7

March 13, in person, Cambridge, MA. Thank you for this important contribution, @hellogera.bsky.social!:
daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/film-...

Film Screening: 'JARA — Radioactive Patriarchy: Women of Qazaqstan'

This film sheds light on the stories of six women from a nuclear-affected community in Kazakhstan. It explores topics such as technology-driven and state-sponsored gender-based violence, as well as th...

daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 8

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JBe...

Teach-in on Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, and the Rule of Law

YouTube video by Politics and Prose

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Togzhan Kassenova

Donnacha Ó Beacháin @donnachadcu.bsky.social · Mar 6

Russian imperialism didn’t start in 2022, nor is it confined to Ukraine.

My new book analyses the Kremlin’s long shadow—past and present.

Out on 24 April.

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Togzhan Kassenova @togzhankassenova.bsky.social · Mar 7

March 13, in person, Cambridge, MA. Thank you for this important contribution, @hellogera.bsky.social!:
daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/film-...

Film Screening: 'JARA — Radioactive Patriarchy: Women of Qazaqstan'

This film sheds light on the stories of six women from a nuclear-affected community in Kazakhstan. It explores topics such as technology-driven and state-sponsored gender-based violence, as well as th...

daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu

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