Of the countries affected by the recent economic crisis in East Asia, Malaysia has attracted particular attention. Malaysian policymakers have consistently flouted conventional wisdom about the most appropriate ways of managing the crisis, in particular, and national economies, more generally, in an era characterised by increased international integration, both economic and political. Not only has Malaysia, under the leadership of its Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, refused to adhere to the neoliberal orthodoxy of liberalisation and financial opening, but the Malaysian government embarked upon a systematic counter-offensive designed to mitigate the influence of external economic forces and retain a degree of national policy autonomy. Author: Beeson, Mark. Publication: Pacific Affairs, Sep 22, 2000.