As the Dalai Lama Succession Looms, Mongolia Faces Its Most Delicate Test Yet

Mongolia’s precarious balance between religion and politics has become evident recently. First, the Dalai Lama in India reaffirmed in July 2025 his authority over the reincarnation process, directly opposing China’s assertion of control over it.

His Holiness the 10th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu (Bogd Gegeen). Credit: Wikipedia.org

Days later, Tsoodolyn Khulan, a former presidential advisor jailed in a case tied to the succession of the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (JBK), was pardoned in Mongolia.

Together, these events reveal how the spiritual-political vise is tightening on Ulaanbaatar. As the Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, his succession is no longer a distant concern. It is an approaching geopolitical flashpoint.