Mongolia's strong relationship with Japan received a new boost this month when Japan announced a new USD 1.5 million project to aid urban migrants in Bayanhogar, Choyr, and Erdenat. Mongolia's population has been urbanizing rapidly. Many of these new urbanites live in temporary settlements and need employment and business opportunities. Japan's new grant provides funds, technical support and guidance for the development of 165 business opportunites. Its goal is to aid up to 23, 749 households.
Japan's presence in Central Asia has grown since 1992. At the breakup of the Soviet Union, Japanese diplomacy within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) allowed the Central Asian Republics to become eligible for OECD aid initiatives, over U.S. and French objections. Japan also sponsored the Central Asian republics into the Asian Development Bank (ADB), making Central Asian states the first to belong to more than one regional development bank (the European Bank of Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) as well as the ADB). Japan has pursued regular opportunities with Central Asia in direct investment and aid initiatives. In its partnership with Mongolia, however, Japan can also address many diplomatic initiatives in East Asian affairs as well.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
