In the dictatorships of Asia, the global economic crisis has fueled a lot of political dissent. Here's a brief rundown of current events in several Asian nations:

Malaysia: Dictator Mahathir Mohammad is Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Finance Minister of Malaysia; he controls all the major functions of government. So far he's been able to stabilize Malaysia's economy by isolating the country from the global economy. But things are definitely not rosy under the one-party, strictly Muslim state. And people are beginning to protest. So far they've rallied behind Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir's ex-Finance Minister whom he fired on unsubstantiated charges of corruption and sodomy (which is illegal under Mahathir's government). Anwar's main platform is to bring a new openness to government, society, and the economy, but he's also a supporter of IMF "reforms." Nevertheless, people in the street are shouting "reformi" (reform), the rallying cry for Indonesian students and workers who drove Suharto from power in May. It remains to be seen whether a grassroots opposition forms--and how Mahathir responds.

Indonesia: Under continuing pressure from student demonstrators and unemployed workers, Pres. Habibie is speeding up the timetable for general elections. Under new legislation, political parties will begin registering Nov. 13, voters will begin registering on Mar. 13, and elections will be held on May 15--all within a six-month timeframe. While this bring up questions of fairness (i.e., can everyone in this sprawling archipelago register to vote in a five-week period?), it also shows how desperate the current government is to avoid an insurrection. If the elections go as planned, the major candidate to watch will be Megawati Sukarnoputri (the daughter of Sukarno, the man Suharto deposed in 1966), whose constituents are mostly poor, rural Indonesians.

Thailand: In the country where the global recession first appeared, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai is struggling to keep his government afloat. As politicians desert his ruling party in droves, Leekpai has barely resisted pressure to dissolve parliament and hold new elections, or fire his entire cabinet and replace them with people not tainted by corruption scandals. He's facing the same conundrum as Boris Yeltsin: satisfy an angry, hungry population, or do the IMF's bidding?

South Korea: A two day general strike in May has led to more strikes this summer, as workers continue to protest layoffs and demand that the government re-negotiate its deal with the IMF. A recent strike at Hyundai Motor forced the government and the company to back down from laying off workers, and the government is beginning to pull back from downsizing, restructuring, or closing down large state-run companies. A few state-run companies are now offering early retirement, instead of firing workers outright. But the government has also cracked down on unions by arresting a record number of militant activists this year.

Burma: As the National League for Democracy continues to push against the military junta, its members are being routinely beaten, jailed, and disappeared. Underground student groups, however, have refined a method of protest that saves them from the same fate that NLD members have suffered: the nonviolent, hit-and-run demonstration. Small groups of about 100 protesters ("small" for Burma--which shows how unpopular the military government is) converge on an area and stage a quick sit-down protest, block traffic, distribute leaflets, shout pro-democracy slogans, and then quickly melt away at the first sign of approaching soldiers. Targets are often selected based on whether a foreign journalist, foreign VIP, or TV crew is present. This is obviously a long-term strategy--and a smart one--given how brutal the Burmese military is.--Maria Tomchick

Ten people have been convicted following a bench trial in Hamilton, Ontario. They were arrested following a 31-hour anti-war sit-in last February at the office of the appropriately named Cabinet Minister and MP Sheila Copps. Copps played a key role in expressing Canadian military support for the anticipated U.S. strike against Iraq.--Geov Parrish

For the past two years, NATO has organized a special "NATO-Express" train in Hungary along the Budapest-Kecskemet line for invited VIPs. In 1996 members of the Hungarian anti-NATO group Alba Kor participated by chaining themselves to the railway line; last year they stole the stage with their delegate, "Miss Anti-NATO." This year, after long negotiations, the group was given three invitations: Alba Kor's spokesperson, Dr. Tamas Csapody, Executive Member Imre Takacs, and Bela Barany (meaning "sheep"). Sure enough, Bela turned out to be, well, a sheep, nametag and all, festooned with peace signs and anti-NATO emblems. She was a registered guest. It was a long train ride.--G.P.