Category Archives: Research on Mongolia

Thoughts on Constitutional Reform

By Julian Dierkes I am not a constitutional scholar. My observations on the constitutional reform proposals that are being considered by the Mongolian parliament are thus based on my understanding of Mongolian politics on the one hand, and my experience of … Continue reading

Posted in Aimags, Constitution, Democracy, Foreign Policy, Governance, JD Democratization, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments

Constitutional Revision

By Julian Dierkes It appears that all of a sudden the push for constitutional revision is alive and becoming more concrete with a multi-party submission of a draft in parliament that appears to have the support of 60% of MPs. … Continue reading

Posted in Aimags, Constitution, Democracy, Governance, International Relations, JD Democratization, Judiciary, Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

Politics in Late Summer 2015

By Julian Dierkes I’m about to head to Ulaanbaatar for a very brief visit. While summer is a time of parliamentary recess and Naadam, it has been a bit more eventful than usual with the de facto dissolution of PM … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Foreign Investment, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics, Public Opinion | Tagged | Leave a comment

Concrete Information on Corruption Paints Depressing Picture

By Julian Dierkes I have written about corruption in various contexts in the past, most recently comparing the context of anti-corruption movements in India and Mongolia. In that post, I wrote that, “Petty corruption, systemic corruption, as well as grand … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Governance, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Politics, Public Opinion, Social Issues | Tagged | 2 Comments

Planning for 2016 УИХ Election

By Julian Dierkes In June 2016, Mongolians will be voting for a new parliament, the Улсын Их Хурал. Having served as an election observer in the last four national elections, I’m thinking about what activities could be undertaken now to prepare … Continue reading

Posted in Democracy, Elections, Ikh Khural 2016, JD Democratization, Media and Press, Party Politics | Tagged | 5 Comments

Oyu Tolgoi on Track Again

By Julian Dierkes Last week, this is what I tweeted AUS article abt possible progress on #OyuTolgoi negotiatons (http://t.co/ARV73N2xS6) got me thinking abt analysis for day after agreement. — Julian Dierkes (@jdierkes) May 14, 2015 It looks like the day … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Foreign Investment, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

FOC Comes to Mongolia

By Julian Dierkes Thanks to support from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, I was able to participate in the Freedom Online Coalition conference in Ulaanbaatar. Below, I want to highlight some of the discussions and presentations that were … Continue reading

Posted in International Relations, JD Democratization, Media and Press, Mongolia and ..., Protest, Social Change, Social Issues, Social Media | Tagged | 2 Comments

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

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

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

Arbitration Award to Khan Resources

By Julian Dierkes On Mar 2 2015 it was announced that erstwhile Canadian uranium miner Khan Resources was awarded US$100mio in arbitration proceedings administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague (Netherlands). The proceedings were rooted in … Continue reading

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Feeling (Politically) Pessimistic for Coming Year

By Julian Dierkes It is Tsagaan Sar, so happy new year to all of Mongolia and to Mongolians! Сар шинэдээ сайхан шинэлээрэй What will the year of the sheep bring? The sheep Gestalt (зурхай) seems to expect a windy Spring and … Continue reading

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Democratic Party, Economics, Elections, Foreign Investment, Governance, Ikh Khural 2016, Inflation, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Mongolian People's Party, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Policy, Politics, Populism, Security Apparatus | Tagged | 2 Comments

Poll Results – Direct and Indirect

By Julian Dierkes PM Saikhanbileg has announced the results of the mega-projects vs austerity SMS poll. This announcement is important because we learn about this particular direct democracy initiative, but also because it included an announcement of proposals to revise … Continue reading

Posted in Democracy, Foreign Investment, Governance, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Policy, Politics, Public Opinion | Tagged | 2 Comments

Digital Democracy: PM Saikhanbileg’s Policy Choice SMS Poll

By Julian Dierkes This week Prime Minister Ch Saikhanbileg has posed a question to Mongolians on television and he is asking them to reply by SMS. There are examples of direct involvement by the electorate in political decisions, of course … Continue reading

Posted in Democracy, Governance, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Public Opinion, Social Media, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | 9 Comments

A Personal Wishlist for the Saikhanbileg Government

By Julian Dierkes As we’re anticipating a cabinet to be formed under PM Saikhabileg and it now seems likely that a grand coalition (DP + MPP) or a super coalition (DP + MPP + Justice Coalition + CWGP) or some … Continue reading

Posted in Constitution, Corruption, Democracy, Foreign Policy, Higher Education, JD Democratization, JD Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Politics, Social Issues | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mongolia – From Sino-Russian Buffer to Conversion Zone

Last autumn, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin made separate visits to Mongolia, met for a tri-lateral (Russia-China-Mongolia) summit in the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe during the leadership summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and dispatched their vice-foreign ministers … Continue reading

Posted in Asia Pacific Memo, China, Foreign Policy, Mongolia and ..., Russia | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Little Correction to Mr. Enkhsaikhan’s Push for Constitutional Reform

By MENDEE Jargalsaikhan Coinciding with the birth of New Prime Minister, Mr. Enkhsaikhan, former Prime Minister and one of the political heavyweights, made an interesting presentation at the research workshop on the “Constitutional Reform” – link. He was sharing his view … Continue reading

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