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Recent Posts
- What Does the Rusal-Rio Case Actually Mean For Mongolia?
- Mongolia Focus in Review 2025
- Guest Post: Parliamentary Oyu Tolgoi Hearings: Key Themes and What We Often Misunderstand About Economic Benefit
- Self-Censorship
- The Zandanshatar Crisis that Unhappened (And What Happens Next?)
- How May Prime Ministers, Speakers, and MPs Be Removed?
- Khurelsukh and Pax Mongolica at the UN
- 2026 Budget Proposal: With Failing Infrastructure, Can Mongolia Pivot From Coal to Copper?
- On Egg Cartons In Mongolia
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Author Archives: JDierkes
Mongolia Focus in Review 2025
By Julian Dierkes It was a big year for the blog because we moved from the original home at the Univ of British Columbia to our own domain as I moved from UBC to the University of Mannheim. This move … Continue reading
Guest Post: Parliamentary Oyu Tolgoi Hearings: Key Themes and What We Often Misunderstand About Economic Benefit
By Zorig Bat-Erdene An ad hoc committee established by the Mongolian Parliament recently held hearings on the Oyu Tolgoi (OT) Investment Agreement, bringing together nearly 300 participants. Attendees included former presidents and prime ministers, current and former ministers and lawmakers, … Continue reading
Self-Censorship
By Julian Dierkes Seemingly, Mongolian democracy has been backsliding since 2019. Post by @jdierkes@sciences.social View on Mastodon Shifts in the V-Dem indices are not huge, but noticeable and consistent. Mongolia now ranks as an “electoral autocracy” not a … Continue reading
The Zandanshatar Crisis that Unhappened (And What Happens Next?)
By Julian Dierkes and Marissa J. Smith Just a month ago, we thought we might have to revise our post with short bios of the current cabinet members in PM Zandanshatar’s cabinet. That still might happen with ongoing speculation about … Continue reading
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
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 Julian Dierkes
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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
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 ...
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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
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
Posted in Government, Mongolian People's Party, Politics
Tagged Julian Dierkes; Marissa Smith
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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
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 Julian Dierkes
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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 Julian Dierkes
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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