Blair's Dirty Money: As His Tentacles Reach Mongolia, How the Ex-PM Is Making Millions from Some of the World's Most Evil Regimes

MAIL ONLINE: Tony Blair is to advise Mongolian leaders on 'good governance' / The former Prime Minister won't say how much he is earning from the deal / Mr Blair is said to be worth between £60million and £80million

With every passing month, Tony Blair looks more and more like a deposed emperor who has systematically set up his own government in exile.

How else should we view the inexorable rise of his shadowy and quasi-political network of businesses, whose tentacles stretch from his smart offices next to the American Embassy in London into every corner of the globe?

This week, it was revealed the former Prime Minister has added a new country, Mongolia, to his burgeoning portfolio of business interests.

He has signed a contract to advise the Central Asian country’s leaders on ‘good governance’ through his money-making Government Advisory Practice.

And what does Mongolia have in common with most of the places Mr Blair does his business deals?

The answer is: pots of money. The once dirt-poor nation is about to strike it rich, thanks to vast copper and gold mines in the Gobi desert.

Blair won’t say how much he is earning from the tie-up — and his large team of spin doctors routinely deny almost any figures relating to his myriad international deals — but we can be sure it’ll run into millions.

How else could he bankroll 200 employees — a figure he’s set his sights on growing to 500 over the coming years — in his expanding network of offices around the world?

At the centre of this nexus of money and power is 60-year-old Blair himself, who is guaranteed a warm welcome — befitting an international statesman of the highest rank — when he is feted by some of the world’s most dirty and corrupt tin-pot leaders. » | Paul Scott | Saturday, June 15, 2013

Mongolia Capital Ulan-Bator Removes Lenin Statue

BBC: Ulan-Bator, the capital of Mongolia, has removed its last bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin, denouncing the communist leader as a "murderer".

The monument was hoisted from its plinth in a park and dropped on to the back of a flat-bed lorry at a ceremony attended by city mayor Bat-Uul Erdene.

During the Cold War, Mongolia was effectively a Soviet satellite state.

Mr Bat-Uul said the statue would be auctioned off with a starting price of about $280 (£174; 216 euros).

In a 10-minute speech, he denounced Lenin and his fellow communists as "murderers"[.] » | Sunday, October 14, 2012

Mongolian neo-Nazi group the Tsagaan Khas ('White Swastika') salute on the streets of the capital Ulan Bator. Photograph: The Guardian
Mongolian Neo-Nazis: Anti-Chinese Sentiment Fuels Rise of Ultra-nationalism
THE GUARDIAN: Alarm sounds over rise of extreme groups such as Tsagaan Khass who respect Hitler and reject foreign influence

Their right hands rise to black-clad chests and flash out in salute to their nation: "Sieg heil!" They praise Hitler's devotion to ethnic purity.

But with their high cheekbones, dark eyes and brown skin, they are hardly the Third Reich's Aryan ideal. A new strain of Nazism has found an unlikely home: Mongolia.

Once again, ultra-nationalists have emerged from an impoverished economy and turned upon outsiders. This time the main targets come from China, the rising power to the south.

Groups such as Tsagaan Khass, or White Swastika, portray themselves as patriots standing up for ordinary citizens in the face of foreign crime, rampant inequality, political indifference and corruption.

But critics say they scapegoat and attack the innocent. The US state department has warned travellers of increased assaults on inter-racial couples in recent years – including organised violence by ultra-nationalist groups.

Dayar Mongol threatened to shave the heads of women who sleep with Chinese men. Three years ago, the leader of Blue Mongol was convicted of murdering his daughter's boyfriend, reportedly because the young man had studied in China.

Though Tsagaan Khass leaders say they do not support violence, they are self-proclaimed Nazis. "Adolf Hitler was someone we respect. He taught us how to preserve national identity," said the 41-year-old co-founder, who calls himself Big Brother.

"We don't agree with his extremism and starting the second world war. We are against all those killings, but we support his ideology. We support nationalism rather than fascism." >>> Tania Branigan in Ulan Bator | Monday, August 02, 2010

Mongolia Calls State of Emergency
BBC: The president of Mongolia has declared a four-day state of emergency in the capital amid violent protests over claims the general election was rigged.

Crowds torched the HQ of Mongolia's governing party - the former Communists - and attacked a police station.

Over 60 people were hurt - around half of them police - as officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon against stone-throwing protestors.

The unrest went on into the night, with reports of bank robberies and looting.

Rioters set fire to the Cultural Palace, home to a theatre, museum and national art gallery in the capital, Ulan Bator. Mongolia Calls State of Emergency >>> | July 1, 2008

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