Yearly Archives: 2025

Khurelsukh and Pax Mongolica at the UN

By Julian Dierkes Pres. Khurelsukh’s speeches at the UN General Assembly have caught my eyes in recent years, in part because the UN has been the site of an at least symbolic battle between Russian President V Putin and the … Continue reading

Posted in Landlocked Developing Countries, Mongolia and ..., Peacekeeping, UN | Leave a comment

2026 Budget Proposal: With Failing Infrastructure, Can Mongolia Pivot From Coal to Copper?

By Marissa J. Smith With the end of summer and the opening of the State Khural on September 15, the past few weeks have seen statements about economic policy coalescing into patterns. These culminated this past week in still-new Prime … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Education, Erdenet, Infrastructure, Mining, Policy, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | Leave a comment

On Egg Cartons In Mongolia

By Marissa J. Smith Like fences, chickens (and their eggs) are seemingly “unnomadic” products. Also like fences, eggs are hardly unavailable in Mongolia, at least in urbanized areas and provincial centers. A food shop, Egg Mart, with airag ger and … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Cuisine, Curios | Tagged | Leave a comment

Origins of Wooden Fences

By Julian Dierkes Sometimes first-time visitors to Mongolia ask questions that I have also been asking myself, so leave me stumped and wondering. One of these questions is the origin of the khashaa (Хашаа), or fence that demarcates a family’s property … Continue reading

Posted in Countryside, Curios, Dissertation Ideas, Settlements, Ulaanbaatar | Tagged | 7 Comments

Guest Post: Back in Mongolia: Buzz, Ambition, and a Bold Vision at MEF 2025

By Zolzaya Jargalsaikhan After two years abroad, my family and I have safely returned to Mongolia — just in time for the Mongolia Economic Forum (MEF) 2025. The energy was palpable — not only from reconnecting with family and friends, … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Economics, Policy, Sovereign Wealth Fund, Zolzaya Jargalsaikhan | Leave a comment

Guest Post: Visit to Mongolia by Japanese Emperor and Empress and Public Response in Japan

By Kunio Minato The first imperial visit to Mongolia by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako was undoubtedly a landmark event in Japan–Mongolia relations. The Japanese media covered the imperial couple’s words and deeds every day in newspapers, on TV and … Continue reading

Posted in History, Japan, Mongolia and ... | Leave a comment

Guest Post: “Mongolian tie demokratiaan” Photo Exhibition in Helsinki

By Mend-Amar Baigalmaa The photo and poster exhibition “Mongolian Tie to Democracy” by Finnish journalist and photographer Irja Halász opened on May 31, 2025, at the Sofia Cultural Centre Gallery in Helsinki, Finland.   Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Democracy, History, Mend-Amar Baigalmaa | 3 Comments

Acting Powerful

By Julian Dierkes I recently engaged in some political dreaming with very good Mongolian friends. The prompt was, “If you were Grand Khaan/Prime Minister, what would be some changes you would make right away?”. We quickly abanonded the Grand Khaan … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Politics, Security Apparatus | Tagged | Leave a comment

Zandanshatar Cabinet

By Julian Dierkes and Marissa J. Smith As we have done for cabinets since 2016 (Erdenebat 2016 | Khurelsukh 2017 | Khurelsukh 2020 | Oyun-Erdene 2021 | Oyun-Erdene 2022 | Oyun-Erdene 2023 | Oyun-Erdene 2024), we’re listing cabinet members below … Continue reading

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PM Zandanshatar

By Julian Dierkes So, Mongolia has a new prime minister. Parliament elected G Zandanshatar in the early hours of June 13. Initial reporting indicated that only 108 members were present, but it seems to have turned out that 108 members … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Mongolian People's Party, Politics | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Mongolian People’s Party: A Glossary

By Marissa J. Smith As demonstrated by the still-unfolding process of presenting a new Prime Minister for confirmation by the Ikh Khural, it has become difficult to follow Mongolian politics without an understanding of the internal structure and processes of … Continue reading

Posted in Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

Mongolia’s Next PM: Media Mentions of Possible PM Nominees

By Marissa J. Smith and Julian Dierkes With L Oyun-Erdene’s resignation as prime minister, obviously, there is a lot of speculation and media mentions of possible PM nominees whom the MPP might nominate to succeed him. Before we look at … Continue reading

Posted in Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments

End of the Oyun-Erdene Era?

By Julian Dierkes Of course, the one time, my frustration at endless speculation about political machinations and alliances actually gets to me, something happens, namely Prime Minister L Oyun-Erdene’s era appears to be ending. In the early morning of June … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, Ikh Khural 2024, KhUN, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Government Confusion

By Julian Dierkes A bit of confusion in Mongolia at the moment regarding the state of the coalition government and the fate of L Oyun-Erdene as prime minister. Last week, it was reported that a) the DP had been removed … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, Government, Media and Press, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Change in the Countryside 2025

By Julian Dierkes For some years, I have now traced visible changes in Ulaanbaatar on my periodic visits. I’ve kept a similar list for countryside changes, somewhat less regular as extended visits to the countryside don’t come nearly often enough … Continue reading

Posted in Change, Countryside, Curios | Tagged | 1 Comment