Something Is Rotten in the State of Mongolia

For the past four years or so, Mongolia has been an oasis of freedom in autocratic Asia. But now:

“Poverty and corruption are eating away at our democracy,” said Tsedevdamba Oyungerel, a Stanford-educated politician who ran for Parliament but lost (though she did receive 10 male horses as gifts while campaigning in the countryside).

Drunken riots have shocked the nation:

“I thought, ‘This is totally wrong,”‘ Gansuren, a bartender at a karaoke club, said of the riot.

No, the IHT’s lede does not help us keep a straight face:

The charred shells of two Soviet-style buildings rising from the center of this capital stand as a warning of the dangers of mixing vodka with voter frustration.

Not so long ago we were toasting the Kyrgyz for joining the freedom club. Now we may be waving goodbye to the Mongolians. I know poverty is awful, but I’m much more worried about the effects of corruption on political liberty, and the worldwide spread of corruption may be the story of the decade.