The legacy of Genghis khan  

March 15, 2006

This year Mongolia celebrates the 800th anniversary of Genghis Khan’s (pronounced Chenghis by Mongolians) consolidation of his power over all the Mongol tribes. I doubt there are many people who have ever gone to school who don’t know who Genghis Khan was or what he is famous for. Conversely, if you asked most people to give you a few simple facts about modern day Mongolia, they would be hard pressed to do so, notwithstanding the confusion over Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia.

Visiting Ulaanbaator, the capitol of land-locked Mongolia, for the second time and having the opportunity for the first time to drive out into the rolling plains, I was struck but just how little all but Ulaanbaator has changed in 800 years. 

A country of less than two million people, only Ulaanbaator, approaching one million, has a population of more than a few thousand people. And while there are plenty of cars and hotels and all the trappings of a modern, albeit 1950s Soviet style, city, the minute you leave Ulaanbaator you are on ground that the Great Khan himself would instantly recognize. The countryside is largely devoid of fences and other obstructions. Horses, sheep, and cattle roam free, requiring hundreds of acres of grazing land to support even the smallest herds. And but for the power and telephone lines that run beside the road, and the sole north-south railway, the vista is unencumbered as far as the eye can see. Many rural Mongolian’s still live in the traditional Ger (Yert). Up until the 1960s, over 80 percent of Mongolians were born in a Ger.

The Mongolian people themselves are extraordinary. Despite their meager resources and their domination by their Chinese and Russian neighbors for most of the past 800 years, they exhibit none of the characteristics of a long dominated people. Since the Yuan Dynasty in China of Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kubla Khan, Mongolia did not become an independent country until 1911 and was quickly swallowed up again by the Soviet Union. Only with the fall of the Soviet empire did Mongolia regain Its independence.

Mongolians, however, appear to have lost none of the strength and character that led them to conquer most everything between Mongolia Iraq. Mongolian men walk with a confidence and even a swagger. Mongolian women are no less remarkable. Shake a Mongol woman’s hand and her firm grip and eye contact will surprise you.

So what happened to this great people that led them to be obscured by their larger neighbors? Why do they no longer possess the power and influence they once had? The answers are simple, geography and lack of resources.

Eight hundred years ago, Mongol warriors, beside their strength and endurance gained from their mastery of a difficult land, possessed several advantages that enabled them to conquer vast territories. One often overlooked advantage was the sturdy Mongol horse that trotted rather than galloped and provided a more stable platform for charging Mongol archers. Most important, however were Mongol organization, command and control, logistics, psychological warfare, and intelligence gathering, all raised to a new level under the Great Khan.

But once conquered, it was only a matter of time before the more developed cultures of China and India would seduce and envelope the nomads who came in search of their riches. The Mongolia out of which Genghis Khan arose in just three generations became just one more province in the Yuan Dynasty Empire of his grandson.

So what does Mongolia’s future hold? Mining, tourism, and foreign investment all promise a brighter future for Mongolia. Its armed forces increasingly are taking a leading role in international peacekeeping, deploying units and individuals around the world on missions for the United Nations. Mongolian troops stand proudly beside US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. When Mongolian soldiers arrived in Baghdad, it was the first time they had been there since 1259. A company of Mongolian soldiers soon will be on their sixth rotation to Iraq where they have served with distinction.

U.S.-Mongolian relations are strong. In recent years the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the President of the United States have visited Mongolia. When Secretary Rumsfeld visited recently, the Mongolian’s presented him with a horse, aptly named Montana.

Regarding the confusion over Inner and Outer Mongolia, today’s Mongolian nation state is what the Chinese refer to as Outer Mongolia. The Chinese province of Mongolia is referred to as Inner Mongolia. There are, incidentally, more ethnic Mongols outside of Mongolia than inside, thanks to Ghengis Khan.