Mongolia has had a comparatively successful transition to parliamentary democracy. Successive Governments have been chosen through elections that reflect the will of the people, and the transition from one government to the next has taken place in a largely positive and cooperative atmosphere.

Mongolia has also begun to break out of the political and economic isolation that characterized its modern history from the 1920s to the 1990s, this is largely caused by a new, young generation of Mongolians, which has tasted the rewards of democracy and the opportunity presented by a market economy, and are moving into positions of influence and power within the Mongolian economy. Their outlook on the world and Mongolia's place in it is markedly different than that of their parents and grandparents.

Political Stability (percentage Rank 1-100)

Source: the CIA World Factbook

Mongolia, today, is "on the march" not only at home, but also on the international scene. Mongolia redefined its vital national security and foreign policy priorities and concepts in a new 1992 Constitution and in a 1994 national security and foreign policy document. Defined as an "open and non-aligned" policy, Mongolia declared it would safeguard its independence and security primarily by political and diplomatic means and by striving to create an external environment that was favourable for its economic, scientific and technological development.

Mongolia's national security and foreign policy is premised on peaceful and friendly relations with its immediate neighbours, partnerships with "third neighbours," and integration into existing, and new, regional and international organizations.

In the past three years alone, Mongolia has become a "partner" of the Organization of Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and an "observer" in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Mongolia joined the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia-Pacific's sole government-level regional security organization, in 1998 and the World Trade Organization in 1997. Mongolia has expressed interest in joining other regional forums such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation organization (APEC) and in the NATO’s Partnership for Peace. Mongolia seeks to play a leading role in Northeast Asia, either by joining existing, or creating new, Northeast Asian organizations that will link the economies of the region to each other, and to the rest of the world.

Mongolia is one of the few functioning democracies in North East and Central Asia; as such, it serves as a model for other post-communist and post-authoritarian societies still striving to democratize.