Author Archives: mendee

About mendee

Jargalsaikhan Mendee is a Deputy Director of the Institute for Defense Studies of Mongolia. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, and MAs in International Relations from the US Naval Postgraduate School and in Asia-Pacific Policy Studies from the Institute of Asian Research of the University of British Columbia.

Mining Governance: Tavan Tolgoi

Posted on January 22, 2016 by mendee

Tavan Tolgoi was a costly test for the Mongolia’s mining governance.  It tested the resilience of the revised mining governance under the 2006 Minerals Law, checked the unity of political elites, especially of two major parties, and examined the resolve … Continue reading →

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Posted in CIRDI, Mining, Mining Governance, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mining Governance: Weak Institutions and Greedy Politicians

Posted on January 18, 2016 by mendee

Despite seemingly clear codified decision-making procedures that exist on the paper, the majority of the mining governance related decisions has been non-transparent and becoming more difficult to understand the politics behind them. Laws, standards, and regulations are passed today, but … Continue reading →

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Posted in CIRDI, Mining, Mining Governance, Otgonbaayar Byambaa | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mining Governance in Mongolia: A Messy Field

Posted on January 13, 2016 by mendee

This is a brief, possibly too simple title of my field research in Mongolia.  The mining governance is an interesting subject for anyone studying Mongolian politics because it links Mongolia with the world, triggers rent-seeking competition among politicians, and upsets the local community, … Continue reading →

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Posted in CIRDI, Governance, Mining, Mining Governance | Tagged | Leave a comment

EITI in Mongolia at the Tipping Point

Posted on November 26, 2015 by mendee

The EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) is no longer a stranger in the Mongolian resource governance discourses as witnessed at the First National Forum and 5th National Corporate Social Responsibility Forum, both organized in November, 2015.  The debate now focuses … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corruption, EITI, Mining, Mining Governance, Politics, Social Issues | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Contested Politics of the Presidential Veto

Posted on September 16, 2015 by mendee

In August,  parliament (State Ikh Khural) passed two separate amnesty bills: the first provides a one-time amnesty for all unregistered wealth from  criminal investigations and taxation. The other applies to first-time offenders, minors, women with small children and people who haven’t … Continue reading →

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Posted in Corruption, Governance, Judiciary, Law, Party Politics, Politics, Populism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Graduates of Archery 100 in Mongolia

Posted on July 15, 2015 by mendee

Presenting graduates of the Archery 100 course in Mongolia Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009 (source link) Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014 (source link) Finnish President Tarja Halonen in 2011 (source link) The US Vice President Joe Biden in 2011 … Continue reading →

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Posted in Curios, Foreign Policy | Tagged | 3 Comments

Policy Series: Mining Policy Failures (I)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

Mining policy is a good entry point to understand the overall policy-making processes of Mongolia. For one, mining has been one of the dominant economic sectors of Mongolia since the early 1900s.[1] Second, with extensive mining activities, mining has caused … Continue reading →

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Posted in Governance, Mining, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Policy, Policy Series | Tagged | 2 Comments

Policy Series: Typical Explanations for Policy Failures (II)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

The following explanations are commonly offered to explain these faulty mining policies. External Factors – In the absence of major international or regional armed conflicts and threats (conventional and non-conventional), politicians often highlight two external factors – the dynamics of … Continue reading →

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Policy Series: A Typical Quick Solution – ‘Let’s Change It’ Syndrome (III)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

In retrospect, the most common methods for dealing with policy failures have been first to blame each other – politicians, parties, factions, and civil society activists in addition to geopolitics and global economy and second to change policies without asking … Continue reading →

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Policy Series: Are There Better Solutions? (IV)

Posted on June 2, 2015 by mendee

There are many possible ways to improve the quality of the policy-making institutions and process to improve mining policies and reduce failed policies. In fact, all politicians are well aware of these possible solutions, but they lack political will and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Constitution, Governance, Law, Policy, Policy Series, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Potential Northeast Asian Economic Corridors: Differing Chinese and Russian Priorities

Posted on May 8, 2015 by mendee

Sitting at a strategic crossroads between Europe and East Asia, Mongolia and North Korea are potential economic corridors for the wider Eurasian landmass. However, the realization of such corridors depends in large part on Chinese and Russian policy priorities, since … Continue reading →

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Posted in China, Economics, Infrastructure, International Relations, Japan, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, Russia, South Korea | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Potential Breakthrough in Mongolia’s Relations With North and South Korea

Posted on March 6, 2015 by mendee

By Mendee Jargalsaikhan Mongolia takes a resolutely middle road when it comes to North and South Korea. It values its long-standing relations with the North while developing its newly-declared strategic partnership with the South. Due to its geographic location, wedged … Continue reading →

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Posted in Eurasia Daily Monitor, Foreign Policy, International Relations, Mongolia and ..., North Korea, South Korea, Ulaanbaatar Dialogue | Tagged | Leave a comment

Lingering anti-Sinic sentiments in post-Communist Mongolia: Why dislike the Chinese?

Posted on January 9, 2015 by mendee

Just sharing a long-waited working paper on anti-Chinese sentiments in Mongolia.  The following is the abstract, for the full paper – here is the link. Sino-Mongolian relations have been amicable ever since the Sino-Soviet and Sino-Mongolian rapprochements of the late … Continue reading →

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Posted in China, Mendee Jargalsaikhan | Tagged | 4 Comments

Policy Series: Failure of Not Strengthening the Parliament

Posted on December 14, 2014 by mendee

Under the 1992 Constitution, the parliament is supposed to become the state policy black box.  It was empowered to develop, approve, and enforce state policies that would strengthen the country’s sovereignty, maintain its domestic stability, facilitate the economic development, and more … Continue reading →

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Posted in Policy Series | Tagged | 1 Comment

Policy Series: Failure of Not Asking Hard Questions

Posted on December 1, 2014 by mendee

Government policies should provide solutions to our problems. They reduce uncertainty by building trust among all players.  But, in Mongolia’s case, policies have been fragile, unstable, and unpredictable.  Overall, our policies increase uncertainty and build mistrust among ourselves and our partners. What do … Continue reading →

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Posted in Constitution, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Policy Series | Tagged | Leave a comment