Today Thursday was the ceremonial ending of this part of our Mongolian education project in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Ten lectures at the Mongolian University for Science and Technology (MUST) and one held at the Tsesee Goun Management College was finally done. It felt rather good actually. My method in education can best be described as when Wallace and Gromit build the railroad at the same time as they are running the train. The ceremonial end was a lunch meeting downtown UB with dean G. Batkhurel and my assistant here Anarzul Dorligsuren. The Mrs. and I and our Mongolian friends met at the Mongolian BBQ downtown UB for lunch.
The establishment itself seems to have changed owner since the last time (think it was in 2004 or 2005) when it was owned by a Mongolian and an American. Now it seems to have been overtaken by a company called Nomads (surprise?). Since the last time the American influence on the establishment has seemingly diminished. What are the main impressions of Mongolia 2011? After all there has been some 20 years since the transfer from totalitarian rule to democracy?
On Sukhbaatar square demonstrating herders from the rural areas protest against the criminal coalition government of Mongolia (to their understanding). Mongolians I’ve been talking to claim that all politicians are liars and frauds.
My personal opinion is that this is a direct effect of how international organizations as the UNDP, the ADB and the IMF treat developing countries as Mongolia. They put pressure on Mongolian politicians by talking about where the limitations of economic policies lie. Thereby the Mongolian politicians loose the national economic sovereignty and cannot fulfill any promises given in democratic elections that has economic implications. Thereby the political process is deprived of its meaning. It becomes as described in Seinfeld’s definition of his and George’s TV-series within the Seinfled TV-series and its theme and layout: “It’s about nothing!”
If you remove the economic content of politics, politics turns into a meaningless ceremonial. It’s my opinion that neoliberal policies, designed to deprive politics of economic content actually ruins democracy of its meaningful content. If we want to continue to have a democratic society neoliberal aspirations to de-politize different areas of society must be combated. When democracy has been changed into meaningless ceremonial it is simply too late.
The establishment itself seems to have changed owner since the last time (think it was in 2004 or 2005) when it was owned by a Mongolian and an American. Now it seems to have been overtaken by a company called Nomads (surprise?). Since the last time the American influence on the establishment has seemingly diminished. What are the main impressions of Mongolia 2011? After all there has been some 20 years since the transfer from totalitarian rule to democracy?
On Sukhbaatar square demonstrating herders from the rural areas protest against the criminal coalition government of Mongolia (to their understanding). Mongolians I’ve been talking to claim that all politicians are liars and frauds.
My personal opinion is that this is a direct effect of how international organizations as the UNDP, the ADB and the IMF treat developing countries as Mongolia. They put pressure on Mongolian politicians by talking about where the limitations of economic policies lie. Thereby the Mongolian politicians loose the national economic sovereignty and cannot fulfill any promises given in democratic elections that has economic implications. Thereby the political process is deprived of its meaning. It becomes as described in Seinfeld’s definition of his and George’s TV-series within the Seinfled TV-series and its theme and layout: “It’s about nothing!”
If you remove the economic content of politics, politics turns into a meaningless ceremonial. It’s my opinion that neoliberal policies, designed to deprive politics of economic content actually ruins democracy of its meaningful content. If we want to continue to have a democratic society neoliberal aspirations to de-politize different areas of society must be combated. When democracy has been changed into meaningless ceremonial it is simply too late.
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