President Elbegdorj Ups the Ante

Earlier today I posted an article on President Elbegdorj's comments vis-a-vis Nambar Enkhbayar's trial and emphasized the importance of the international community's role in pressuring the Mongolian government to let Enkhbayar and his son stand in the upcoming elections. ? There are three further points that I would like to raise about Elbegdorj's statement which ...

Locke applauds historic Boeing aircraft dealU.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Mongolia’s President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj today announced agreements to expand cooperation on trade and economic issues, and support Mongolia’s aviation sector with technical assistance and training programs at a Blair House ceremony. “Our trade relationship with Mongolia has deepened during the past several years,” Locke said. “We are pleased that U.S. exports to Mongolia have been increasing, and we look forward to continuing to work with President Elbegdorj and his government to strengthen our commercial ties.” The Boeing Company also finalized a purchase agreement with MIAT Mongolian Airlines for one 767-300ER and two 737-800 aircraft valued at $245 million from The Boeing Company. This is the first direct purchase of Boeing aircraft by MIAT, and marks the first time in more than two decades that MIAT will extend its route network by purchasing Boeing airplanes instead of leasing them. Locke and representatives from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) each signed agreements with Mongolian government and private sector officials promoting cooperation between the two nations.

Mongolia, which is forced to import virtually all of its refined oil products and frequently faces chronic fuel shortages, is to begin building an oil refinery early next year in an effort to meet domestic demand and reduce dependence on neighboring Russia for energy supplies. Two months ago Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj proposed to build an oil refinery, emphasizing its importance for Mongolia, infomongolia.com reported. 

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s sweeping gun-control package faces an uncertain future on Capitol Hill, where majority House Republicans are rejecting his proposals while the president’s allies in the Democratic-controlled Senate are stopping well short of pledging immediate action.

As I wrote earlier this week, there is substantial reason to question the health of Mongolia’s democracy. Former President Enkhbayar’s three-day trial demonstrated to the world the corruption of current President Elbegdorj’s regime. The politically driven assault on Enkhbayar has exposed the lack of independence of the judiciary and collusion [...]

The opportunity for Greece to tell the Troika to "go to hell" is at hand, if only the political left can stop bickering long enough to form a coalition. Bailout Rejection Key Demand Alexis Tsipras (SYRIZA's leader) says he will use all three allotted days to do so. His key demand is a bailout rejection, which would mean a eurozone exit whether that is his intention or not.