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mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Mongolia Focus
@mongoliafocus.bsky.social
240 followers 140 following 440 posts
Commenting on developments in contemporary #Mongolia and announcing new blog posts offering such analyses.
mongoliafocus.com with over 850 posts since 2011.
@dierkes.bsky.social posting here.
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mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Und ich dachte die mongolische Volkspartei sei die einzige Fleischpartei (MAXHam), die SED offensichtlich auch, zumindest in Schmogrow, laut Jochen Schmidt ("Phlox", S. 246)
Foto von Textabschnitt. "Nachdem die SED gegründet worden war, warb die Bürgermeisterin [...] für diese Partei, deren Mitglieder auf ihre Lebensmittelkarten eine größere Zuteilung von Fleisch bekamen, mit den Worten: 'Wollen Se Fleesch? Immer rin in die Fleeschpartei!'"
November 2, 2025 at 6:46 PM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Ich warne meine Kolleg*innen öfter dass in der Fakultät immer mehr Mongolei auftauchen wird. Eine Pferdekoppel haben wir noch nicht, aber erste Anzeichen auf dem Flur und das war ich nicht einmal.
Ein Poster in einem Schaukasten. In der Mitte, im Fettdruck "Exkursion" Darüber das Foto eines Hirten in einem fliederfarbenen Deel vor einer Kamelheerde. Darunter Listen von geplanten Exkursionen nach Kirgistan, Kazakhstan und, ja, in die Mongolei.
October 23, 2025 at 5:44 PM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Deutsch-Mongolische Kulturtage für Nachhaltigkeit in Stuttgart.
#Mongolei
Tengerton Ensemble spielt mongolische Musik. Selbstverständlich Pferdekopfgeige.
July 13, 2025 at 10:44 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
President and Prime Minister jumping on the 3x3 women's basketball hype train.
June 29, 2025 at 7:04 PM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
First communications initiative (on Insta) from new #Mongolia PM Zandanshatar: 🇲🇳 esports team...
June 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Oh, but I do think there is some news there...
Screen shot of website of Mongolian Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry. Under "News" an empty tile that says "Nothing found"
June 18, 2025 at 7:10 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Natl Stats Office #Mongolia reports on trade Jan-May 2025.
Minerals compared to Jan-May 2024:
Coal 📉 42.2% (in value)
Copper 📈 61%
Cu thus catching up to coal in value: US$1.85b vs $2.2b
Fluospar & Zinc have also jumped up in value.
nso.mn/en/dissemina...
Screen shot of report on NSO website
June 16, 2025 at 11:06 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
I offer more of an assessment of #AcademicFreedomIndex derived from @vdeminstitute.bsky.social data on #Mongolia.
mongoliafocus.com/2025/05/asse...
May 20, 2025 at 9:38 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Having listened to podcast interview (newbooksnetwork.com/the-historic...) looking fwd to reading Vitale's "Historical Writing of Mongol Invasions in Japan".
Inner book cover of "The Historical Writing of the Mongol Invasions in Japan" Judith Vitale Published bz the Harvard University Asia Center Distributed by Harvard University Press Cambridge (Massachusetts) and London 2024
May 16, 2025 at 9:44 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Since I continue to think abt #AcademicFreedom in #Mongolia, here's the corresponding graph for 2019-2024, period of decline in the Academic Freedom Index components.
Note relatively (compared to 🇹🇷) even shape, pointing to, again relatively, high degree of academic freedom across all 5 indicators.
May 13, 2025 at 9:48 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Returning to earlier consideration of #academicfreedom in #Mongolia based on @vdeminstitute.bsky.social
mongoliafocus.com/2025/04/acad...
Important to keep in mind that 🇲🇳 continues to maintain much higher levels of academic freedom than neighbours!
Graph of Academic Freedom Index 1990 to today. China starts very low (0.17) and really doesn't move very much to end up at 0.07 in 2024. By contrast Mongolia and Russia, becoming much freer 1990-1992. Russia starts a gradual decline in 2000, dropping more rapidly from 2008 to approach China's score today (0.21). Mongolia remains much freer longer, starting a graduate decline in 2019 to remain far above its neighbours (0.7).
May 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
On visits I always take notes (since 2011) on what's new and what's disappeared in Ulaanbaatar.
For the newest addition see mongoliafocus.com/category/ula...
#Mongolia
At some Ulaanbaatar intersections there are now strips of light embedded in the sidewalk. The photo shows a green strip in the foreground while the partly visible strip in the background (perpendicular direction) is red with some people waiting behind it.
April 29, 2025 at 6:41 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Farewell, Mongolia!
I hope to be back soon.
Selfie, in the background a tourist camp of gers.
April 28, 2025 at 1:44 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
What a wonderful book I've picked up in Ulaanbaatar. "20th Century #Mongolia n Pop Culture Posters".
See www.instagram.com/mongolianvis... to get a copy.
April 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
National Univ of #Mongolia (student?) theater, Camus' "The Stranger"
Photo for showing of The Stranger. Caption "If you come having read it - great. "If you come without reading it - even better"
April 22, 2025 at 7:24 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Category: increasing agricultural and domestic food production in #Mongolia.
No street vendors this time of year, but (fancy) supermarket offered 8 different varieties of honey for sale. The brand name won me over.
1kg jar of "Khaan" brand of money.
April 21, 2025 at 12:16 PM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Happened across official event on Sukhbaatar Square this morning, possibly involving an Armenian visit.
#Mongolia #MGLfp
Clear blue sky over Government House in Ulaanbaatar. Mongolian flag flying over Government House in background. Honour guard in their very fancy blue-red uniforms in foreground. Three flagmasts flying Mongolian flag to the right. Small crowd watching at fence set up behind honour guard.
April 21, 2025 at 11:10 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Always something new in Ulaanbaatar:
Traffic light strips in the sidewalk, paired with tactile tiles common across Japan as well.
Traffic strips blink and turn colour, ppl see them without looking up from screens, I imagine.
#Mongolia
8 25cm or so long, 5cm wide strips of LEDs, currently light in green, though you can see red set in the background. Set in sidewalk with tactile tiles, bumpity for edge of road, lines for safe walking toward crossing.
April 20, 2025 at 12:17 PM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
On my way...
April 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
For you young ppl out there (tho you pbly already knew):
Streamer IShowSpeed went on run thru Ulaanbaatar.
www.youtube.com/live/0mwuGEx...
Seemed to enjoy Long Song!
#Mongolia
Screen shot showing IShowSpeed with Long Song singer, all dressed up.
April 14, 2025 at 1:54 PM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Looking at #AcademicFreedomIndex components @vdeminstitute.bsky.social since 2015 in more detail.
Over time graph showing five components of index: campus integrity, freedom of academic and cultural expression, freedom of academic exchange and dissemination, freedom of research and teaching, institutional autonomy. All five graphs declining since 2019, though not uniformly. Steady decline: academic exchange and dissemination, research and teaching, academic and cultural dissemination, autonomy. Campus integrity fluctuating.
April 9, 2025 at 9:10 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Compare those graphs to bigger trends around the world, for example OECD and Asia scores.
Similar graphs as previous post, here showing academic freedom index from 1970 to 2024 for Asia and the OECD. Obviously, graphs much smoother than country graphs. Asia and the OECD see a steady rise throughout the period until around 2009 (with an OECD jump in 1990) and similarly steady decline until today. Mongolia scores have been close to OECD since the 1990s.
March 19, 2025 at 10:46 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Comparing development of academic freedom (as measured @vdeminstitute.bsky.social) for #Mongolia, Argentina and Portugal, as those are two countries with a score comparable to 🇲🇳 in 2024. Much steeper decline in two comparators puts 🇲🇳 in some perspective.
#MGLpoli
Three graphs from 1970 to 2024 for Argentina, Mongolia and Portugal. Academic freedom in Argentina goes up quickly after 1982 with the end of military dictatorship. It drops in 2024 from 0.97 to 0.69 With the beginning of the democratic era, academic freedom index for Mongolia goes up in the early 1990s, never quite reaches level of ARG and POR, but declines more slowly from 2019 on. Portugal's score rises rapidly after the end of the Estado Novo, from 1973 onward. Steep decline from 2023 to 2024 (0.93 to 0.72).
March 19, 2025 at 10:42 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
#Mongolia score declined slightly in #AcademicFreedomIndex drawing on @vdeminstitute.bsky.social data.
Image shows six charts of data for Mongolia from 1900 to 2024. Graphs flat until democratic revolution in 1990, the huge jump up with some decline in recent years. Total score shown as 0.70. Seemingly steepest decline in "Academic and Cultural Expression" since 2017.
March 19, 2025 at 8:57 AM
mongoliafocus.bsky.social
Those concerned abt #Mongolia democracy often point to decline in @vdeminstitute.bsky.social ratings. As example, see graph of five main democracy indices below, all declining from around 2019.
V-Dem offers many graphing tools to take a look yourself.
v-dem.net/data_analysi...
#MGLpoli
Overtime graph form 2000 to 2024. From highest to lowest: Electoral democracy Liberal democracy Deliberative democracy Egalitarian democracy Participatory democracy All five moving largely in parallel. Values comparison 2018 vs 2024: Electoral democracy 0.65 to 0.5 Liberal democracy 0.54 to 0.39 Deliberative democracy 0.53 to 0.39 Egalitarian democracy 0.49 to 0.35 Participatory democracy 0.36 to 0.25 Little change until around 2019 when all five start declining.
March 18, 2025 at 8:26 AM