Jul 1979Gilbert Islandsindependentas Kiribati
Jan 1984Independenceof Brunei
Mar 1985Reformist Mikhail Gorbachevbecomes leader of Soviet Union
Mar–May 1989Elections across Soviet Union forCongress of People’s Deputies
Apr–Sep 1989Vietnam withdrawsfrom Cambodia
May–Jun 1989China cracks down on protestorsin Tiananmen Square