Abstract:

The Nevada-Semipalatinsk Movement (NSM) formed on February 28th, 1989, and called for the end of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan and abroad. In their campaign to end the production and testing of nuclear arms, the NSM forged connections with anti-nuclear activists in the United States of America. American and Kazakh activists frequently visited each other’s countries as the Cold War thawed. In doing so, they joined broader efforts between American and Soviet citizens to improve the relationship between the USSR and America. These “citizen diplomacy” exchanges began in the mid-1980s and continued until the Soviet collapse in 1991. This paper will analyze two citizen diplomacy events carried out by the NSM and their American counterparts in 1990. Specifically, it will examine the Stop Nuclear Weapons Testing Tour in the United States and the International Citizens Congress for a Nuclear Test Ban held in Alma-Ata. Drawing on material from American and Kazakh archives, this paper argues that anti-nuclear activists played a small, yet significant role in shaping the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. It will explore the various strategies that Kazakh and American activists employed in their bid to end nuclear testing. At lectures during these events, activists informed the public about the biological and ecological effects of nuclear testing. Kazakh and American indigenous activists showcased their culture and heritage, breaking barriers between East and West. By analyzing the relationship between Kazakh and American anti-nuclear activists, my paper illuminates the important role played by citizen activists at the end of the Cold War.