The Argus points it out, Kirk over at It Makes a Difference to the Sheep wanted to know what I thought, and I mentioned it before in a previous post, but in case you don’t know yet, THE HORDE IS BACK IN IRAQ! And getting their due attention from the NYT - WITH PICTURES! Anyway, here’s the best part:
In the Bush administration’s roster of 34 nations serving in Iraq in the American-led “coalition of the willing” about half are formerly Communist countries like Mongolia. Like many other normally overlooked nations that have sent soldiers to Iraq, Mongolia did so more out of geopolitics than concern for Iraq. Mongolia’s offer of troops surprised the American government because it had not asked Mongolia for help, said Steven R. Saunders, president of a private, Washington-based group promoting business ties with Mongolia.
Around this dusty city with its Cyrillic character signs left over from the Soviet era, Mongolians talk of supporting democracy in Iraq, of bolstering geopolitical ties with the United States [Marmot's Note: these Mongolians apparently do not include my future mother-in-law] and of returning their nation’s long-eclipsed name to the world stage [RUN! TATARS!].
Read the NYT piece in full - it’s a goodie.
20 Comments
Holy crap, and i thought Portugal sending in our “Republican Guard” was a stretch…;)
It definately is a stretch. I don’t like how my government is working with the US. I would more likely be closer to my neighbors Russia and China then America.
By the way, we are not Tatars.
By the way, we are not Tatars.
Jeeze, I got to go home to Mongolian nationalism every day, and now I got to deal with it on my blog? Fine - despite having been mistakenly referred to as as “Tatars” for centuries by us ignorant Western savages, you are correct in pointing out that Mongolians are not, properly speaking, “Tatars.” To learn more about just who Tatars are, click here. Minii gergii (”yurt person”) hates being called a Tatar, too.
And fair enough concerning your views on US-Mongolian cooperation - my future mother in law does seem to like the idea, either.
WHY??? work with the bloody Russians and the damn Chinese??? Dependence on our neighbours is one of our major weaknesses!!!!!
I would more likely be closer to my neighbors Russia and China then America.
Mongolians will get plenty of opportunities to be close to China, when the Chinese add the Outer Mongolian Autonomous Region to its territorial holdings. Mongolia’s reunification with the motherland will be an occasion for celebration by Han Chinese throughout the nation.
Mr Zhang Fei, I did not quite understand what you mean by
” reunification with the motherland “???????????
I hope you not saying that we, Mongols will join China!!!!!
ES: I hope you not saying that we, Mongols will join China!!!!!
This is based on overheard scraps of conversation, and on the comments of Chinese posters in English language forums - there appears to be some popular support in China for adding Mongolia to China’s territorial holdings. This is why I am pointing out the absurdity of Crystal’s statement I would more likely be closer to my neighbors Russia and China then America. Unless, of course, Crystal is actually Chinese.
I see, but anyway that will never happen. Where are you from??? China????
I see, but anyway that will never happen. Where are you from??? China????
Nope - I’m from Nu Yawk.
I see, but anyway that will never happen.
What will never happen? Mongolia aligning with Russia and China, or Mongolia being annexed by China? Without Russian (and American) support, annexation by China is a virtual certainty.
Why do you think annexation by China is certian? If that happens, I am sure there will be a world wide protest against the Chinese, anyway, relations with the USA has improved alot in the last few months. Plus, China will have to use military force to take Mongolia and I am sure that China is not in any situation to use the military force and even have the intentions to take, what they think is part of China, Mongolia, that was tried and retried in 1911 and 1921, but both attempts fail.
If that happens, I am sure there will be a world wide protest against the Chinese, anyway, relations with the USA has improved alot in the last few months.
In an ideal world, Mongolia’s sovereignty would depend on UN recognition. In reality, it’s been reliant upon Russian protection, just as Tibet’s sovereignty was dependent initially on British, and then Indian protection. The Indians failed the Tibetans. Today, Tibet is a Chinese Autonomous Region.
Plus, China will have to use military force to take Mongolia and I am sure that China is not in any situation to use the military force and even have the intentions to take, what they think is part of China, Mongolia, that was tried and retried in 1911 and 1921, but both attempts fail.
These attempts were made by dispersed warlord forces closer to bandits than to a real army. Today, China has millions of troops under unified command with the latest Russian equipment. The principal reason Mongolia is still independent today is because of Russian protection. The Chinese view all territory that was controlled (via conquest or otherwise) by the predecessor Manchu empire to be Chinese territory. Mongolia happens to be one of these territories.
Mr Fei, to me ( a mere secondary school student )you seem to know alot about this topic. How come?
Does Russia really give a damn about what happens to Mongolia these
days, may be during the soviet era they mignt have but there is really no point is there now?
Ok. I have read all this things that have written above. In my opinion, Mongolia is not part of the China and it will never join to China. Mongolia has the great history and this nation is great nation. And also Mongolia has enough methods to protect itself from foreign invation. So dont think that Mongolia will join to China. Mongolians are really patriotic. Someday this country will conquer the world again.
Mr Fei, to me ( a mere secondary school student )you seem to know alot about this topic. How come?
My impressions of long-term Chinese intentions are formed from English language forums in which Chinese posters have expressed their view that China will one day overturn what they feel to be humiliating defeats at the hands of lesser breeds*. Also, I switched from being a (strictly amateur) Sovietologist to a (strictly amateur) Sinologist, after the 1996 incident involving Chinese missile tests in the Taiwan Straits and veiled nuclear threats from China.
My views of Chinese military capability are the result of reading analyses from various think-tanks and other open sources. You too can read up about developments in China’s military capability at huge variety of websites - my favorite is http://www.ndu.edu, which contains both analyses of China’s intentions and capabilities and translations of Chinese views about China’s place in the world.
* What I found interesting was the fact that Chinese posters feel that Korea was *stolen* from China, even though it wasn’t actually part of the Manchu empire. (Note that I believe only the China that predated Manchu empire should be considered part of China - excluding Manchuria, South Mongolia, Tibet and East Turkistan).
In my opinion, Mongolia is not part of the China and it will never join to China.
That will depend on Mongolia’s protectors - Russia and the US.
Mongolia has the great history and this nation is great nation.
Mongolia has had good innings in the game of empire, but lacked staying power and the software (cultural and intellectual) to stay on top, in stark contrast to its sneakily expansionistic neighbor, China. It also bit off too much at a time. Mongols could have conquered and remade China (or any other empire) in its image. Instead, they went on a campaign of global conquest that spread them too thin. As a result, Mongols today are a fraction of the 1 billion Chinese and can never hope to overcome them again.
And also Mongolia has enough methods to protect itself from foreign invation. So dont think that Mongolia will join to China. Mongolians are really patriotic.
It’s not clear to me that Mongolia, which (1) is poor, (2) has a land boundary with China and (3) has a small population, would be able to defend its sovereignty, when the Taiwanese, who are (1) rich, (2) have a 100-mile strait separating them from China and (3) has a population of 20 million, would have significant trouble. I’m sure Mongols are brave and patriotic. But then again, so were the Tibetans and the Uighurs, all of which had beaten off Chinese armies in the past.
Someday this country will conquer the world again.
Unlikely, in the age of mass armies and weapons superiority that is determined by relative industrial power.
What? That’s stpuid. The fake Sinologist is reading opinions probably from the equivalent of the NeoNazis in the US and that is not representative of the opinions of most people in China. Don’t listen to him.
I wonder what the chinese really think of Mongolia, do they say that Mongolia belongs to them? do they hate Mongolians because of what Chingghis Khan did to them? I am sure they want Taiwan more than Mongolia if such expantionist feels still linger!