From the vast solitude, a frontier is born

Nomadism and geopolitics in Mongolia

Abstract

In this article, we intend to interpret the significance of nomadism within Mongolia’s singular geopolitical position, conceiving it not as an atavistic remnant but as a deliberate policy of statecraft. Drawing upon the tenets of critical geopolitics, as expounded by Klaus Dodds, and the historical-sociological method of the English School of International Relations, we reject the deterministic and often late-colonial preconceptions that portray nomadism as a hindrance to security. We trace this tradition from the olden times, through the vast dominions of Chinggis Khan, to the Soviet-dependence era, which, that, having failed to extinguish the nomadic spirit, bent its ideology to local custom through the negdel.

The post-1990 resurgence of nomadism is interpreted as both necessity and sovereign proclamation: a conscious return to ways which secure the nation’s frontiers, fortify its cultural traditions, and lessen its entanglement with permanent infrastructures so vulnerable to foreign sway. We examine contemporary perils, such as energy dependence, cultural erosion, and ecological fragility, and show how nomadism endures as Mongolia’s quiet but resolute shield. Thus, we advance, that nomadism is a way of living and incarnating geopolitics an anchor mooring against the gravitational pull of mightier neighbours.