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Comment by pythonguython | Hacker News Reader

I think it’s important to note that Kazakhstan wasn’t just strongarmed into this. Public sentiment was very much against nuclear weapons in Kazakhstan in 1991. The Semipalatinsk test site ruined the health of so many Kazakhs, that there was a consequential anti nuke movement right as the country suddenly had independence. Maybe in hindsight it was a bad geostrategic decision (although KZ is doing fine right now), but the Kazakhs just wanted nukes out, and the US was happy to take them.

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It is also important to note that Kazakhstan still has the world largest Uranium production, by far. Almost half of the world production comes from there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_uranium_p...

Not really, Uranium itself isn't dangerous or even that scarce.

Super-enriched Uranium, however _is_ super rare, expensive and desirable.

Really. Raw Uranium is still pretty rare, the US got it from Congo/Canada, the Russians from Czech/East Germany. You still need a thousand tons to get a bomb and if you got no reactor to produce it for you easier.

The enrichment to weapon-grade U235 is trivial, you just need enough good gas centrifuges or a reactor.

Kazakhstan is not just for Kazakhs. Be kind.

I wasn’t counting anyone out, but Kazakhstan is comprised mostly of Kazakhs.

you're a bit wrong. at the time of the collapse of the USSR, the population of Kazakhstan consisted of 40% Kazakhs and 38% Russians, 6% Germans and 5% Ukrainians, plus other ethnic groups. Kazakhs were not an absolute majority.

At the time of the collapse of the USSR

As far as attempts a spin are concerned -- this one's really quite ludicrous.

Howabout we try the present tense:

  Ethnic Kazakhs make up 71%, Russians 14.9%, Uzbeks 3.3%, Ukrainians 1.9%, Uygur 1.5%, Germans 1.1%, Tatars 1.1%, and others 5.2%.

these are early nineties problems, so you have to look at data from the early nineties.

Then perhaps you should try communicating more clearly.

When someone says "Kazakhstan is comprised of ...", and you say "This is wrong" -- you're obviously referring to the present tense.

Thanks for the valuable linguistic advice, but perhaps you should read how that discussion started.

Thanks for the valuable linguistic advice

Anytime.

During the Soviet Union the ethnic Russians came from Russia, lived in the large cities, had most of the high paying jobs and then left when Kazakhstan had their independence. They were colonized and now they have their own country.

if you're talking about colonization, the second sentence should note that they brought civilization to those places.

In fact, even before the Soviet Union, since the 1740s, these steppes were part of the Russian Empire, and Russians built cities there.

They brought civilization to those places.

That's the same nonsense justification used in support of all colonial projects.

Simply put - it's a lie.

I hardly met any people there who would swap their house and car for a yurt and horse. They must be living in this one lie.

As if they care what you think is best for them.

They had civilization. The Islamic golden age touched Central Asia, The Silk Road passed through Central Asia, bringing wealth and ideas to the region. The people of the Kazakh steppe were largely nomadic but they had civilization. The Russians came and forced them to live in cities and work largely non-arable land. The Russians certainly kick started their process of industrialization, but they had civilization.

No, it is not quite so. The real wealth and prosperity was to the south, in Bukhara and Samarkand. The territory of (present-day) Kazakhstan was not particularly affected. Some rudiments of civilization were in Kazakhstan in the pre-Mongol era. After that nothing much happened there, there was a steppe where nomads grazed their cattle. I think that's where the history of those you call “they” begins. Great development and industrialization took place only after WWII.

> The Semipalatinsk test site ruined the health of so many Kazakhs

that cannot be true. It was really middle of the semi-desert with no people around

You’re mistaken. They purposefully didn’t evacuate villages so the doctors could study the health effects on unknowing citizens. The radioactive dust traveled for miles and miles. Semey, a medium sized town near the test site had skyrocketing cancer rates and birth defects. The number of people affected is measured in the hundreds of thousands. Read “The Atomic Steppe” if you want to learn more.

> They purposefully didn’t evacuate villages

WHAT villages? Could you name one? Polygon was literally build in the desert, no villages inside or outside.

One would be Karaul. It was partially evacuated but a group of locals was designated as group of Guinea pigs for testing. And remember, this dust traveled for many miles. This is the Steppe, so dust gets picked up and travels with little vegetation impeding it.

With all due respect, I think you should read more about this instead of acting like I’m spouting nonsense, when you clearly know little about this topic. I have been to Semipalatinsk and seen their exhibit on victims to nuclear testing and I’ve read the literature.

> One would be Karaul.

this one was close to 200km south from test site, like I said, everything inside and out of the polygon was moved. Semipalatinsk was something like 150km east. It was and is zero-populated area.

> It was partially evacuated but a group of locals was designated as group of Guinea pigs for testing.

At 200km distance test WHAT EXACTLY? You are repeating stories which were and are pure garbage

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