Mongolia's Democratization Welcomed by All

The recent presidential election held in Mongolia was well received by the international community, which has emphasized the democratic nature of the election.
 
In expressing their support, some countries are interested in helping their businesses increase their market shares while others are pushing their ideological agendas. Yet the consensus is that Mongolia has performed well in this latest test of democracy
 
This is most welcome for Mongolia, which was effectively cut off from the rest of the world throughout the Cold War. Since its independence, Ulaanbaatar has sought to rectify this state of affairs and has patiently sought to forge a path to integrate itself with important regional and global organizations.
 
International affairs
 
In terms of achieving this self-declared aim, Mongolia's inclusion into the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) -- which was achieved at the end of last year -- is a very good example of its desire to play a full role in international relations. In the past Mongolia demonstrated its willingness to play a role in maintaining international peace and security through participating mainly in peacekeeping operations in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Eritrea, Kosovo, Chad, Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, it enhanced its international prestige by chairing the Community of Democracies, thereby once again highlighting its commitment to democratic values.
 
In these respects, the Mongolian presidential election was considered to be an important steppingstone, especially by international mining companies and foreign investors. They were very keen to find out whether Mongolians would continue to support their reform-minded president or reject his approaches, instead preferring a different candidate whose image projected him as a fervent environmentalist who would protect Mongolian lands against the negative consequences of mining. Throughout the run-up to the election, much was made of “resource nationalism” and the fear this created in international mining circles. While there are genuine elements of such a sentiment that can be witnessed in some political parties, it is an aberration to categorize it as widespread.
 
The future of Mongolia looks very bright, indeed. In the short term a dip in the prices of commodities will certainly have a detrimental effect on the Mongolian economy and its economic growth rate. Looking towards the medium and long-term, however, if the Mongolian government gets the balance right in terms of investments, transparency and redistribution, then Mongolia can certainly become the best transition model for all post-socialist and even post-authoritarian regimes endeavoring to become more liberal democracies.
 
Future prospects
 
Mongolia has certainly made very good progress over the last two decades. In this respect, it has been aided by the economic fortune it has held. While it is appreciated that wealth does not always equate to liberalism or democracy, most democracies in the world are not poor. The chances are that the wealthier the individual citizen is, the more likely it is that their country's political regime will be more open, more liberal and more democratic.
 
Related to this, while all countries prefer to have vast natural resources, very few in the world possess them; it is simply a matter of the luck of the draw. Modern states also do not have the privilege of choosing their location on earth. Just as humans do not have the opportunity of choosing their parents or siblings, countries do not have the opportunity to choose where they are located or who their neighbors are.
 
Mongolia is a very good example of this obvious truism. Certainly it would wish to be in a different region with more neighbors. Stuck between two giant countries, the Russian Federation and China, Mongolia has consistently been attempting to find another actor that it can develop relations with. Such an actor could be the United States, the European Union, Japan, Turkey or others from Central Asian countries.
 
In this respect it must not be forgotten that one of the largest minorities living in Mongolian territory are the Kazakhs. Given that the two countries are only separated by a distance of 38 kilometers, the Kazakh government has over the past few years been finding ways and means to increase contact with Mongolia, especially in the economic and commercial spheres.
 
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev alluded to this in his congratulatory telegram by mentioning the good neighborly and friendly relations between the two countries as well as the strengthening of mutually beneficial collaboration. He expressed confidence that “our close relationship towards the benefit of the two countries will further deepen.”
 
Therefore, Mongolia is becoming a shining beacon of economic and political advancement not only for greater Central Asia but also for the Asia Pacific region. Observing the progress that Mongolia has achieved in terms of political and economic transition, it is easy to predict that many countries will try and court Ulaanbaatar.
 
This immediately came forth from Russian President Vladimir Putin after the election result was announced. He declared: “I truly believe that the Mongolian society and economy will grow intensively under your leadership. … I am willing to cooperate with you in activating and further developing Mongolia-Russia relations on a regional and international level partnership. I wish you all the best and great success on more of your achievements.” It will come as no surprise to see regional organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) try to foster closer relations over the next few years alongside other industrialized states and multinational energy companies.
 
It is precisely sentiments and topics such as these that the re-elected Tsakhia Elbegdorj will be focusing his attention on. If he is able to manage the Mongolian economy well in tandem with his political party in parliament, then the next four years should provide more stability and greater wealth and growth for all Mongolians.
 
Should this be realized, President Elbegdorj will have ensured a very important place for himself in Mongolian political history. The constitution, similar to the American one, forbids any individual from serving as head of state more than twice. This means that Mongolia will have a new president in 2017. By that time the country will certainly be much richer and hopefully further progressing along the cumbersome path to democracy.