Author Archives: Julian Dierkes

About Julian Dierkes

Julian Dierkes is a sociologist by training (PhD Princeton Univ) and a Mongolist by choice and passion since around 2005. He teaches in the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He toots @jdierkes@sciences.social.

Sounds of a Ger

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Countryside, Curios, Tourism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Elevate Ulaanbaatar Dialogue

Posted on April 28, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Canada, China, Germany, International Relations, Japan, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, Russia, South Korea, Ulaanbaatar, Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Some Thoughts about Logistics of a Steppe Summit

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Foreign Policy, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, Ulaanbaatar, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mongolische Beziehungen zu Nordkorea und USA

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Foreign Policy, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mongolia’s Role in Engaging North Korea

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in China, Foreign Policy, Japan, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, South Korea, Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, UN, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cars in Mongolia

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Change, Change, Countryside, Curios, Development, Social Change, Social Issues, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

SOMO Report “Mining Taxes”

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Canada, Corruption, EU, Foreign Investment, International Agreements, International Relations, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining, Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Public Policy, Taxes | Tagged | Leave a comment

SOMO Report Preamble: Assumptions

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Foreign Investment, International Agreements, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Public Policy, Taxes | Tagged | Leave a comment

How Are We To Think About Rio’s Balancing of Political Risk and Taxation in Light of SOMO Report?

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in International Agreements, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Public Policy, Taxes | Tagged | Leave a comment

Where did the Conspiracy Conspiracy Come From?

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Corruption, Curios, History, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Party Politics, Politics, Pop Culture, Social Issues, Social Media | Tagged | 1 Comment

Gender and Age in Voter Turnout

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Demography, Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, Presidential 2017 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Parliament Challenged

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Party Politics, Politics, Security Apparatus | Tagged | Leave a comment

Guest Post: Agreement between Canada and Mongolia for the Promotion and Protection of Investments – a Glance at Its Nature, Significance and Features

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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Posted in Bajar Scharaw, Canada, Foreign Investment, Foreign Policy, International Agreements, Law, Trade | 2 Comments

False Dzud Alarms

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Periodically, parts of the Mongolian countryside experience heavy snowfall at the end of a long, cold winter. These conditions combine to deny animals access to any kind of grass under the masses of snow when they are … Continue reading →

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Posted in Countryside, Grassland, Health, Policy | Tagged | 2 Comments

Risking Foreign Relations out of (Partisan) Pettiness

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes November is shaping up to be a very busy month of diplomacy across Asia, at least from a North American perspective. It is an odd time for the Mongolian president to seemingly hold some of Mongolia’s most … Continue reading →

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Posted in Canada, Foreign Policy, Germany, Japan, Mongolia and ..., Security Apparatus, South Korea, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment