Mongolia and USA
Mongolia and USA More than ever, the United States’ Presidential elections fascinated global audiences, evinced by celebrations in various nations after Barack Obama’s November 4 victory. However, the international community does not manifest universal interest in or eagerness for an American President who promises increased focus on domestic issues and alterations to foreign policy. In Ulaanbaatar, people seated around an independence monument in front of the nation’s parliamentary building expressed mostly indifference or concern about changes that an Obama presidency could yield. On a cold Tuesday afternoon, a mix of young and middle-aged people gathered around a statue of General Sukhbaatar, whose eponymous square extends before Mongolia’s central government building. When asked about the importance of the recent US presidential election, no one responded with jubilation; for those who followed the campaign, concern over potential changes to Mongol-US relations take precedence over the election’s historical or racial implications. S. Bayar, a 20-year old student, offered a typical reaction, stating that Obama’s predominant focus on internal US issues indicated the President-elect will have less opportunity and intention to assist other nations than his predecessors. “He’ll reduce contributions to Mongolia,” Bayar said. L. Badmaa, a private businesswoman, agreed. “He’s planning to reduce aid to foreign countries,” she said. “We need help from the US. I think McCain would have been better.” Mongolia—a country boasting approximately three million people and a GDP estimated at just under US$4 billion in 2007—has enjoyed increasingly close ties US. According to the US State Department’s website, Mongolia received about US$ 174.4 million in grants through USAID from 1991 to 2008 and has been promised over US$285 million during the next five years from the Millennium Challenge Corporation. While diplomatic relations were established officially in 1987, George W. Bush became the first serving US President to visit the landlocked nation—strategically located between world powers China and Russia—three years ago. Before a crowd of Mongolians, President Bush pledged cooperation with the young democracy in order to promote freedom and battle terrorism, saying, “America is proud to call you the third neighbor.” However, with two wars and fear of recession looming, money may not flow freely out of the United States after President-elect Obama enters the White House, and that leaves some people worried about the amount of future aid Mongolia can expect from the US. Others expressed little interest in America’s political developments. Most Mongolians in Ulaanbaatar earn less than US$300 a month, and one young woman said she was too busy with homework to follow politics abroad. Several people around the square agreed, saying that their work occupied all their time. 50 meters away in Mongolia’s Parliament Building, the nation’s leaders have paid keen attention to the process that selects a leader for the world’s wealthiest country and the man who will occupy that role. In a congratulatory statement, Mongolia’s President, N. Enkhbayar extended his best wishes to President-elect Obama and a reminder about Mongolia’s association with America. “It gives me a great pleasure to note the intensifying development in the last several years in particular of the relations and cooperation between Mongolia and our third neighbor, the United States, on the basis of democratic values and shared interests in promoting peace and prosperity,” Enkhbayar stated. Given the conditions that President-elect Obama and his nation face over the next several years, it remains uncertain whether he will or can afford to continue treating Mongolia like a ‘third neighbor’. How he decides to proceed will likely produce significant consequences for Mongolians, regardless of their interest in international politics. by William Kennedy UB POST |
