Mongolia’s prime minister, Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, just lately expressed his nation’s worry that the world is heading in the direction of a brand new chilly conflict because the relations between Russia and China and the west – notably Nato – have taken a flip for the more serious. “It’s like a divorce,” he mentioned. “When the parents divorce, the children are the ones who get hurt the most.”
The nation sits landlocked between Russia and China and is scared of antagonising both. It will get a lot of its energy from Russia, and China buys a lot of its exports – primarily agricultural items and minerals akin to copper. By pursuing a nimble overseas and commerce coverage because it transitioned to a multiparty democracy within the early Nineties, Mongolia has established a secure financial system, receiving a thumbs up from the World Bank in its newest nation report:
But the conflict in Ukraine has introduced dwelling to Mongolia simply how rigorously it should now navigate its overseas and commerce insurance policies to stay impartial.
Smooth transition to democracy
From 1921 to 1990 Mongolia was successfully a part of the Soviet bloc, though not a part of the Soviet Union itself, the nation’s centralised command financial system was nearly completely depending on Moscow for survival.
The collapse of communism within the early Nineties resulted in what proved to be a easy transition. The then chief, Jambyn Batmönkh, refused to even contemplate quelling pro-democracy demonstrations, as an alternative saying: “Any force shall not be used. There is no need to utilise the police or involve the military … Actually, these demonstrators, participants, and protesters are our children.”
His resignation in 1990 and the emergence of Ardchilsan Kholboo (Mongolian Democratic Union) paved the best way for the event of a multiparty democracy. The June 1993 presidential election in Mongolia, which was dominated as free and honest by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, noticed the incumbent president, Ochirbat Punsalmaa – who had been appointed after a poll by members of the prevailing Presidium of the People’s Great Khural (the nationwide meeting) – elected for a four-year time period.
A brand new structure was adopted, with a three-part construction beneath the speaker of the parliament, the prime minister and the president and, whereas there have been situations of political corruption, Freedom House offers the nation a excessive score for each political rights and civil liberties.
All of which can not disguise that the fledgling democracy remained wedged between (on the time chaotic) Russia and an more and more assertive and authoritarian China. The apparent coverage for Mongolia to pursue was to try to stability the 2 nice powers within the area.
Initially, Mongolia’s overseas coverage relied closely on “omni-enmeshment”. This mainly meant constructing relationships with as many companions as doable, each regionally and globally – together with, considerably, the US.
But since 2000, Mongolia has embraced the coverage idea of “balance-of-power” to scale back the nation’s reliance on anybody nation. To this finish, they’ve partnered with strategic states in Asia, akin to Japan and India, and rekindled army ties with Russia by coming into a “strategic partnership” and conducting joint army workout routines, whereas nonetheless sustaining a robust relationship with China. Mongolia has additionally strengthened bilateral safety relations with the US.
Mongolia’s relationship with China is difficult by the truth that a big a part of what was historically Mongolia is now an “autonomous region” of China (Inner Mongolia), with a inhabitants of ethnic Mongolians bigger than that of Mongolia itself. This, and the actions of secessionist teams within the province, is a persistent level of battle between China and Mongolia.
Third neighbours
But Mongolia sees its independence more and more threatened as Russia and China develop nearer. Since the demise of the Soviet Union, Mongolia has adopted a method of sustaining sturdy ties with “third neighbours” – international locations that embrace democratic values but additionally observe market economics, together with the US (it was a time period first articulated with connection to Mongolian overseas coverage in August 1990 by then US secretary of state James Baker).
The US and Mongolia formalised their relations as a Strategic Partnership in 2019 and in 2022 – clearly with one eye on Ukraine – the 2 international locations introduced they had been deepening the partnership “in all areas of mutual interest”, together with an “open skies” settlement which might assure scheduled nonstop passenger flights between the 2 international locations. The US – with different third-neighbour allies – additionally takes half within the annual Khaan Quest army workout routines.
Dangerous instances
The conflict in Ukraine has introduced the precarious geopolitical state of affairs in Ukraine into sharp focus. The newest joint declaration from the US-Mongolia Strategic Partnership pressured that “disputes should be resolved by peaceful means and with respect for the United Nations Charter and international law, including the principles of sovereignty and respect for the independence and territorial integrity of states, and without the threat or use of force”. It added: “To this end, both nations expressed concern over the suffering of the Ukrainian people.”
Mongolia has abstained from the UN votes condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, whereas additionally refusing to criticise the sanctions imposed on Russia by the west, although they’ve affected Mongolia – for instance, sanctions towards Russian banks have made it tough to pay for its imports from Russia.
And, for all its efforts to forge ties across the globe, Mongolia stays closely depending on each Russia and China. The prospect of a brand new chilly conflict setting the west towards the Beijing-Moscow axis is a serious concern for Mongolia. As Elbegdorj Tsakhia, a former prime minister and president of Mongolia – now a member of The Elders group of world leaders informed Time journal in April 2021:
“I feel that we have just one neighbour. China, Russia, have become like one country, surrounding Mongolia … Every day, we face very tough challenges to keep our democracy alive. Mongolia is fighting for its survival.”
Author: Christoph Bluth – Professor of International Relations and Security, University of Bradford