WarJuly 31, 2009 3:23 am
The Mongol Empire was the largest the world has ever known. It dwarfed anything the Romans, Chinese, Persians, Aztecs etc. could put together. Now, once again, Mongolian warriors are seen far and wide.
Iraq, Sierra Leone, Congo, Afghanistan, Kosovo ... heck, they've made it even further than last time. They ripped through the Middle East and Eastern Europe, but they never penetrated Africa ... until now. I just love the comment in the pdf file I downloaded from the Mongolian embassy in Washington.
"There are historical experiences, features, and characteristics unique to Mongolian culture that enable military personnel to be effective peacekeepers."Yep, "keep the peace or we kill everyone, including your pets."
Apologies for the poor quality of the video ... it was the best I could find.
I love the opening comment that the last time Mongolian forces were in Iraq was 1258.
Well, even though it wasn't called Iraq then, this assertion gives the fact a contemporary ring.
Comment by Lentz of Goulburn — August 1, 2009 @ 3:28 am
Modern Mongolia fascinates me. There's a beautiful sort of irony in seeing the prototypical "barbarian horde" as such vigorous defenders of global civilization. Their geopolitical stance strikes me as sort of analogous to that of certain Eastern European nations, and considering recent history, probably has similar roots. I had only cursory contact with the Mongolians in Iraq, but I'll second that AFN video, their professionalism was immediately apparent.
There's a section in Robert Kaplan's Imperial Grunts where he profiles a US Foreign Area Officer serving in Mongolia and America's "Third Neighbor" policy toward the country. Interesting stuff. I dare say it's been one of the unsung foreign policy achievements of the last decade.
Comment by Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake — August 1, 2009 @ 6:43 pm