1 MONGOLIA AND THE UNITED NATIONS: FORTY SIX YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP 1 By Oyunsuren Damdinsuren Lecturer, School of Foreign Service, National University of Mongolia Introduction Mongolia, a landlocked country between two nuclear weapon powers Russia and China, is situated in the heart of Asia, covering an immense territory of 1.5 million sq.km. With its 2.5 million people, Mongolia is one of the least populated countries in the world. Because of her specific geographical situation, Mongolia has served as a strategic buffer between its two big neighbors for centuries. On the other hand, these countries’ internal situations and their relations have always made crucial impacts on Mongolia’s political and economic life. In fact, Mongolia, once part of the Qing dynasty until 1911, fears its southern neighbor more than its northern one. That is why in 1921, the country followed Russia’s October revolution of 1917, to become the second communist country in the world. Mongolians’ choice led them, however, to a virtual isolationism from western countries, and a complete dependence on the Soviet Union in terms of economy, politics and foreign policy, until the end of Cold War. That is one of the main reasons western countries opposed Mongolia’s candidature to the United Nations. Mongolia’s Accession to the UN Though Mongolia first applied for a UN membership on June 24, 1946, it was renounced for 15 years. During this time, Mongolia never gave up her desire to become a UN member state 1 Paper published in Олɨɧ ɭлɫыɧ ɯаɪилɰаа ɫэɬгүүл (World Affairs magazine), 2007 No.2 (302), Ulaanbaatar