VSS | "On Mongolia's Nuclear Weapon Free Status" by Bayasgalan S.

Full title: On Mongolia's Nuclear Weapon Free Status
Speaker: Dr. Bayasgalan S., School of Foreign Service and Public Administration, National University of Mongolia.
Abstract:
The nuclear age is considered to have started in 1945, when the United States dropped nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after successful nuclear tests. The United States remained the sole power possessing nuclear weapons briefly before they were followed by the USSR, the United Kingdom and France. Other states increasingly saw nuclear weapons as the sole reliable means of their own national security, therefore in 1968 the Treaty on Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was signed to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. According to this treaty 5 states became recognized nuclear weapon states. Four other states, who acquired nuclear weapons are not recognized as nuclear weapon states. It can be viewed as new balance of power emerging based on nuclear weapons.
However, despite the emergence of nuclear states there remained a portion of the world, who were unable to acquire nuclear weapons or considered nuclear weapons to be detrimental to their national security. These states either came under the "nuclear umbrella" of the existing nuclear states or they established Nuclear Weapon Free Zones (NWFZs).
European states, what are members of NATO, South Korea and Japan can be named as examples of states that are under the nuclear umbrella. While there are 5 NWFZs on the world.
Mongolia declared itself as a NWFZ in 1992 on the UN General Assembly. This declaration stems from Mongolia's geopolitical situation and lessons learned from history.
Mongolia initially proposed a Central Asian NWFZ, which was then taken over by Central Asian states. Unfortunately, Mongolia has not been able to have their own NWFZ recognized. Nuclear states, that recognize NWFZs say that any one state cannot become a "zone" on its own. However, the issue is not in the semantic argument of using the terminology "zone" but in the interests of great powers.
Speaker bio:
Dr. Bayasgalan S. holds BA and MA in International Relations from the School of Foreign Service (now School of International Relations and Public Administration), National University of Mongolia. In 2016 he completed his PhD in Political Science. Dr. Bayasgalan's PhD dissertation topic was "Role and significance of NWFZ in Mongolian National Security"
Dr. Bayasgalan has been teaching at SIRPA since 2005. In 2011 he participated in the Study of the U.S. Institutions for scholars program or SUSI (a U.S. Department of State program) at the University of Denver on U.S. National Security Decision Making. In addition Dr. Bayasgalan studied disarmament and nonproliferation in Vienna (VCDNP) in 2014. He has worked in the Taiwan National Chi Nan University s visiting professor.
Research interests: Diplomatic history of Mongolia, Mongolian Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, World History, Civilizations, International security.
American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) is a non-political, non-profit educational organization of 501(c)(3) category that supports the development of Mongolian Studies and academic exchanges with Inner Asia. The activities of the ACMS include the development of academic resources, student and research support and the fostering of academic partnerships in all fields of study related to Mongolia
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the American Center for Mongolian Studies.