Two members of the US Congress are spearheading an effort to nominate the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, for a Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of Kazakhstan’s decision in the early 1990s to give up nuclear weapons it inherited upon gaining independence from the Soviet Union. The two chief sponsors are Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, and Charlie Melancon a Democrat from Louisiana. In late June, they circulated a letter to other members of Congress seeking their support for Nazarbayev’s nomination. The letter also nominates Senator Richard Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn, who created a US program offering money and technical assistance to help Kazakhstan and other former Soviet republics get rid of their nuclear weapons. Kazakhstan’s poor record on human rights would seem to hinder Nazarbayev’s...
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