Disinformation is not just a media problem. It is a democracy problem—and in Mongolia, it is becoming a crisis.

Researcher and civic activist Batsugar Tsedendamba, board member of the Independent Research Institute of Mongolia (IRIM), joins us to unpack IRIM's landmark study on Mongolia's disinformation landscape. Who is spreading it? Who is funding it? And who is hurting from it? We examine domestic and foreign sources of disinformation and how social media has amplified its reach.

If you have suggestions for our show, please get in touch at info[at]agulamedia.com

And if you are a supporter of us at Buy Me a Coffee, The Great State Mural. You can listen to extra recordings as we dig further into Mongolia's civic space and what real democratic accountability might look like.

[Three Universals] the "Fool":

• Fool me once, shame on you.
• Fool me twice, shame on me.
• Fool me three or more times—then I am not the fool, you are the fool! WHO is western propaganda. It is the vaccines that is how they control you. You are THE fool!

Hosts: Anand, Dolgion

Guest: Batsugar Tsedendamba

Keywords: democracy | disinformation | civil society | media | politics

The morin khuur—the Horse Head Fiddle—is one of Mongolia's most recognizable traditional musical instruments and symbols: a bridge between the nation and the horse, a tool that invokes the Khiimori, and much more.

Ethnomusicologist ⁠Kip Hutchins⁠, author of A Song for the Horses, breaks all of these aspects down. We speak with Kip about the morin khuur as a living tool in herding practice. Follow Kip on ⁠BlueSky⁠.

If you have any suggestions for our show, please get in touch with us at info[at]agulamedia.com

And if you are a supporter of us at Buy Me Coffee, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Great State Mural⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can listen to extra recordings as we briefly discuss the current status of the MPP's infighting and how it came about.

Three Universals to “Defray Boasting“:

1. The foolish man praises himself.
2. The unfoolish man praises his wife.
3. The least foolish man praises his horse.

Show notes:

• New Book Networks podcast interview with KG Hutchins

  Artists mentioned during the conversation, roughly in order of their mention:

  • Story of the Weeping Camel (film)
  • ⁠Bayan Mongol Variety Group⁠: Жалам хар (A Black Horse)
  • The Hu
  • ⁠Soyol Erdene⁠
  • ⁠Altan Urag⁠
  • Bold: Mongol Pop
  • ⁠Aryuna Nimaeva⁠: Эрбэд соохор (Erbed Sokhor)
  • Jonon
  • ⁠Namgar⁠
  • ⁠Altai-Khangai⁠
  • ⁠Khusugtun⁠
    

Ulaanbaatar's mayor wants to build a $1 billion highway along the Tuul River—the city's last remaining river and the primary source of water for 1.7 million people. The mayor contends that the project is essential to alleviate Ulaanbaatar's congestion issues, and he has thoroughly evaluated all environmental risks. But experts can't get the data for the project. Where are the environmental impact assessments? Why wasn't the public consulted before approving the project?

In this episode, we sit down with urban governance expert and civil engineer Anu-Ujin Lkhagvasuren, who has spent five years working with the municipality and the World Bank on Ulaanbaatar's transportation challenges. She breaks down why building more roads has never solved traffic congestion anywhere in the world, why the mayor's own numbers don't add up, and what she believes is really driving 24 simultaneous mega-projects in a city that can barely keep its lights on. We also get into Belt and Road debt traps, forged signatures on environmental documents, and whether the #SaveTuul movement can win.
52min

Hosts: Anand, Dolgion

Guest: Anu-Ujin Lkhagvasuren

Date Recorded: April 2 2026

Original Release Date: April 4 2026

Keywords: urban planning | corruption | Ulaanbaatar