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Author Archives: Julian Dierkes
Present and Past of Mongolia: 15 Years of Changes as Observed by a Civil Engineer
By Kenji Maruoka Translated from Japanese by Ts Jangar Originally published as 「谷川, 聡. (Tanigawa Satoru).(2017). モンゴルの今と昔～2000 年から土木技術者として見てきた15 年の変遷～. KON BAINA UU. No１６ It was my first visit of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where I came to work for Japan’s ODA program in the early May … Continue reading
Posted in Bilateral Aid, Change, Development, Infrastructure, Social Change, Ulaanbaatar
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What to Call a Trump-Kim Summit?
By Julian Dierkes Yes, an actual meeting between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump still seems somewhat unlikely, and the chance that it would happen in Ulaanbaatar is even smaller. But if it did happen … there are some plans to … Continue reading
Posted in Curios, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, Tourism, Ulaanbaatar, United States
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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Sounds of a Ger
By Julian Dierkes For any visitor to Mongolia who has the chance to sleep in a ger, that is probably a highlight. I enjoy it every time I have a chance. One of the aspects that often makes it a … Continue reading
Elevate Ulaanbaatar Dialogue
OPINION By Julian Dierkes and Mendee Jargalsaikhan Mongolia is in a good position to contribute to renewed dialogue with North Korea in order to avert confrontations and, in the long run, lead to more constructive interactions. In an eventful Spring … Continue reading
Some Thoughts about Logistics of a Steppe Summit
By Julian Dierkes Can Ulaanbaatar and the Mongolian government handle hosting a Trump-Kim meeting? Yes, of course, though it would stretch some resources. Past Summits Mongolia involved itself very actively in a number of multilateral organizations and meetings during the … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign Policy, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, Ulaanbaatar, United States
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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Mongolische Beziehungen zu Nordkorea und USA
Julian Dierkes [Eine kürzere Version dieses Artikels ist bei Internationale Gesellschaft und Politik am 3.4.2018 erschienen.] Im Laufe der letzten sechs Monate hat sich die koreanischen Halbinsel wieder zu dem globalen Brennpunkt entwickelt. An der Situation in Nordkorea selber scheint … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign Policy, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, United States
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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Mongolia’s Role in Engaging North Korea
By Julian Dierkes North Korea has long been an important element in Mongolia’s foreign relations. With the surprise announcement of plans for a meeting between Pres. Donald Trump and Chairman of the Worker’s Party of Korea Kim Jong-un, we tried … Continue reading
Posted in China, Foreign Policy, Japan, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, South Korea, Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, UN, United States
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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Cars in Mongolia
By Julian Dierkes Our image of Mongolia may be dominated by horses as a part of the landscape, but also as a mode of transport. But, of course, motorized transport is very common place today. Development Stages and Motorization I … Continue reading
Posted in Change, Change, Countryside, Curios, Development, Social Change, Social Issues, Ulaanbaatar
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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SOMO Report “Mining Taxes”
By Julian Dierkes The Dutch Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) published a report focused on a whole list of issues related to financial and governance structures for the Oyu Tolgoi project. The report was written by SOMO’s Vincent Kiezebrink and … Continue reading
SOMO Report Preamble: Assumptions
By Julian Dierkes It struck me while reading the SOMO report on Oyu Tolgoi governance and tax structures that there are a number of big assumptions and elements in the Mongolian context that are not discussed explicitly, but that are … Continue reading
Posted in Foreign Investment, International Agreements, Mining, Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Public Policy, Taxes
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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How Are We To Think About Rio’s Balancing of Political Risk and Taxation in Light of SOMO Report?
By Julian Dierkes Rio Tinto’s response to the SOMO report claims that the convoluted corporate structure that has been created for Oyu Tolgoi is not aimed at saving taxes, but rather at reducing investment risk. For as long as Rio … Continue reading
Posted in International Agreements, Mining, Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Public Policy, Taxes
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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Where did the Conspiracy Conspiracy Come From?
By Julian Dierkes Mongolia is not unique in the presence of conspiracy theories, nor in the presence of events and factors in those events that may lend themselves to conspiracy theories. Yet, in my experience, conspiracy theories have become dominant … Continue reading
Posted in Corruption, Curios, History, Party Politics, Politics, Pop Culture, Social Issues, Social Media
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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Gender and Age in Voter Turnout
By Julian Dierkes Via a freedom of information request submitted my Mongol TV’s E Lkhagva, I have obtained information on the gender and age breakdown of voters in last year’s presidential election. As frequently described in election observation, Mongolian election … Continue reading
Posted in Demography, Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, Presidential 2017
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Parliament Challenged
By Julian Dierkes This fall has brought a series of political tussles over ambassadorships that have hinted at one of the great rising challenges in Mongolia’s governance, corruption seemingly becoming a systemic block rather than simply a surtax upon transactions … Continue reading
Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Party Politics, Politics, Security Apparatus
Tagged Julian Dierkes
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Guest Post: Agreement between Canada and Mongolia for the Promotion and Protection of Investments – a Glance at Its Nature, Significance and Features
By Bajar Scharaw On 8 September 2016, Canada and Mongolia signed an international Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments (the Canada-Mongolia Investment Agreement). The Agreement entered into force on 24 February 2017 and created legally-binding obligations for both … Continue reading
