Developing the national capacity for preventing terrorism. The case of mongolia

Abstract

The paper examines the challenges of the «turbulent» modern world where threats have a global character. The issue of security cannot be studied outside the global trends, and fighting terrorism is paramount for organizing a safe space and establishing stability in the region. It is urgent to solve the problems of unregulated migration, the threat of using the weapons of mass destruction and means of their delivery, radioactive, toxic and other hazardous materials and production technologies for terrorism purposes. Mongolia, a democratic country with a market economy, a nomadic culture and a rich heritage, is becoming more attractive for the outside world. Today it not only poses a great cultural, tourist and investment interest, but is also open to various threats: spread of extremist ideology and radical religious groups, illegal migration, legalization of criminal income and all the resulting consequences. The authors present their evaluation and conduct a comparative analysis of the actual condition of Mongolia’s legal environment, its institutes and counter-terrorism structures, they outline internal and external factors that determine the possible threats and suggest ways of eliminating them. The authors also describe the specific geopolitical situation of the country and the mentality of its people; they evaluate the risk connected with the participation of Mongolian military in peacekeeping operations and the special operations of the international coalition of forces and the UNO, public vigilance and public awareness about the possible terrorist threats. The authors believe that all these factors could increase the threat of international terrorism. This situation requires the development of the counter-terrorism potential, including the prevention, identification, suppression and investigation of crimes of terrorism and extremism as well as the minimization of their consequences. The study of empirical materials through the analysis and synthesis of statistical and sociological data allows the authors to state that the problems of developing the counter-terrorism potential require serious scientific research; the authors conclude that it is necessary to create and improve a unified national system and structure of the country’s security in close cooperation with the international community.