Category Archives: Research on Mongolia

Political Turmoil – November 2014

This is approximately the third time that the Altankhuyag government seems to have faced serious opposition in parliament as well as in the DP itself. PM Altankhuyag has been surprisingly and impressively skilled at staying in the PM’s position despite … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, JD Democratization, Mongolian People's Party, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 4 Comments

State-Sponsored Formalization of Household Herding in Rural Bayanhongor

“A herder is master of 1000 professions.” President Elbegdorj, printed at the top of herder diplomas The Presence of the State in Rural Mongolia Over the course of my dissertation fieldwork in Mongolia, I spent a considerable amount of time … Continue reading

Posted in Ariell Ahearn, Countryside, Education, Nomadism, Presidential 2013, Research on Mongolia | 1 Comment

Mongolia in the 2014 Social Progress Index

[This post was written jointly by Undral Amarsaikhan and Julian Dierkes] On April 2, the Social Progressive Imperative released its 2014 Social Progress Index. For the first time, this included Mongolia. The Social Progressive Index is an index of indices … Continue reading

Posted in Air Pollution, Corruption, Development, Economics, Education, Global Indices, Governance, Nomadism, Policy, Policy, Primary and Secondary Education, Research on Mongolia, Social Change, Undral Amarsaikhan, Water | Tagged | 1 Comment

Fellow Mongolia Focus Bloggers Marching Along in Academic Careers

Congratulations to two Mongolia Focus grad student bloggers! MENDEE Jargalsaikhan passed his comprehensive examinations in Political Science at the Univ of British Columbia last week. The next step for him will be to write and defend a dissertation proposal to … Continue reading

Posted in Brandon Miliate, Mendee Jargalsaikhan, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Book Reviews: Change in Democratic Mongolia

The edited volume, Change in Democratic Mongolia: Social Relations, Health, Mobile Pastoralism, and Mining has been reviewed in the following academic publications: Morris Rossabi (2013) in Pacific Affairs 86 (3): 642-644. Jeremy Swift (2014) in Nomadic Peoples 18 (1): 152-155. Tjalling … Continue reading

Posted in Book: Change in Democratic Mongolia, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Symposium: Mongolian Responses to Globalization

Department for Mongolian and Tibetan Studies Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn January 15-17, 2014 Organizer: Ines Stolpe The event is designed as a workshop in order to foster lively discussions on issues and topics concerning contemporary Mongolia – including their historical backgrounds. Our primary goal is … Continue reading

Posted in Conferences, Research on Mongolia | Leave a comment

My Sources on Developments in Mongolia

I am sometimes asked how I keep up with developments in Mongolia from afar. I take that question as a compliment on the quality of the analysis we provide. Social Media Twitter has become an invaluable tool for keeping up … Continue reading

Posted in Media and Press, Research on Mongolia, Social Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Visas, Medicine, Education: Feeling Chinese Soft Power in Mongolia

China has been gradually increasing its soft power in neighbouring Mongolia, from offers of visa-free travel to access to its medical facilities, and most recently, growing educational opportunities in China for Mongolians. These policies have gone far in diminishing deep-seated … Continue reading

Posted in Asia Pacific Memo, China, International Relations, Publications | Tagged | 1 Comment

Subscribing to Mongolia Focus Updates

We’ve posted over 250 updates to this blog in the past 2 1/2 years. Any volunteers out there to edit a compilation? 😉 You’ve asked frequently about notifications for new posts recently. All along, I’ve tweeted about new posts @jdierkes and … Continue reading

Posted in Research on Mongolia, Social Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

November 22 Event in Vancouver: Canada-Mongolia Relations

Program on Inner Asia Institute of Asian Research UBC Friday, November 22, 2013 17:30-19h UBC Robson Square, Room C400 On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Canada-Mongolia Diplomatic Relations Canada-Mongolia Relations and Mongolian Foreign Policy Introduction Tobin ROBBINS Honorary … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, Events, Mongolia and ..., Research on Mongolia, UBC Mongolia Lecture Series | Tagged | Leave a comment

My Governor General’s Medallion

It is a bit embarrassing to toot my own horn in this way, but the Rt Hon David Johnston awarded me a Governor General’s Medallion at the Friends of Canada reception on Oct 26 2013. During the award, the following … Continue reading

Posted in Canada, Curios, Governor General's Visit 2013, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

If not an SWF then what?

At the recent World Economic Forum’s “Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Mongolia” I heard a lot of talk about the need for the Mongolian government to shed its direct involvement in the economy, but also the recommendation to rely … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Development, Diversification, Economics, Foreign Investment, JD Mining Governance, Sovereign Wealth Fund | Tagged | 5 Comments

Mongolian Defense Diplomacy

Over the last few months, Mongolia has hosted or taken part in several multi-national military exercises with the aim to develop the Mongolian army’s peacekeeping abilities, as well as a way to leverage military-to-military ties as a tool of diplomacy. … Continue reading

Posted in China, Eurasia Daily Monitor, Foreign Policy, Military, Russia, United States | Tagged | Leave a comment

Solutions to the Current Economic Crisis?

Previously, I have written about economic and political aspects of the challenges currently facing Mongolia. Right now, the economic situation seems a bit like a “wicked problem” or a quagmire, and I see relatively little cause for short-term optimism, but … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Development, Economics, Foreign Investment, Governance, Inflation, JD Mining Governance, Mining, Mining, Policy, Politics | Tagged | 2 Comments

Summer 2014 History Events with Mongolia Focus

A 5-week faculty summer institute on “The Mongols and the Eurasian Nexus of Global History” and a conference on “Changing Patterns of Power in Historical and Modern Central and Inner Asia” have been announced recently. While these include a focus … Continue reading

Posted in Conferences, History, Inner Asia, Research on Mongolia, Teaching in Mongolian Studies | Tagged | Leave a comment