Until then Lien was on 1997's power list. In nations where democracy is less rigorous, people power is nonetheless much in evidence. In Indonesia the clamor for a new generation of leaders grows louder by the day, bringing the thorny succession dilemma into the open, or at least as visible as shadowy Javanese politics allow. Suharto still wields far-reaching clout, but the challenge to his rule, however tentative, toppled him from No. 1 on our list to No. 3. A carefully planned succession goes a long way toward guaranteeing a ruler's place in history and keeping a nation glued together.
Globalization has an uneven impact on Asian power.
As tariff walls fall, officials lose control over their economies while business leaders gain the freedom to compete internationally. At least theoretically. In their quest to be world players, the South Korean chaebol chiefs are building brands and entering markets such as Eastern Europe where even the Japanese have yet to make significant inroads. But they also have less concentrated influence than their Southeast Asian counterparts. Sometimes, clout comes down to sheer charisma, drive, vision.