Mongolia and Change

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Recently, there has been a four part series on Mongolia's rising economy due to a rise in mineral resources. Although my knowledge of East Asian economies has only slightly increased within the last few months, it seems ironic that Mongolia's economy has risen while the more formidable economy of China has slowed. The rise, though, has only spurred questions of how substantial of a gain is this to the Mongolian people--who are mostly nomades. As it is described in the articles, the mines that would be recovering the minerals, copper, would use massive amounts of water to function. This increase of water usage would deeply effect those water supplies of the herders and nomadic people of Mongolia. So, as the country celebrates gains in prosperity, they do so at a high cost.

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/21/152683549/mineral-rich-mongolia-rapidly-becoming-minegolia

[Anonymous]

April's China Seminar and USC brought the three wonderful and extremely informative journalists who discussed their experience with past and present China. Their personal stories were an insightful look at the degree to which change has occurred throughout the various Chinese traditions and customs. Interestingly, as Mongolia has gained more attention in our news, attention has been paid to the country's progression in the 21st century. The last part of the four part series playfully illustrates the sometimes oxymoron-ic situations that a native Mongolian might find themselves in, such as a young man housed in a felt tent, and is the owner of a motorcycle and a cellphone. This type of contrast has to be somewhat unsettling for those native and non-native of the land. Of course, the progress is undoubtedly due, however, the mere thought that tangible aspects of the past must come to its end is a bit saddening as more and more aspects of our world become artificial.

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/24/152842270/old-ways-disappearing-in-the-new-mongolia

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