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and the world. Problems today are globalised, but there are few structures with the authority to validate global goals. The nation-state remains a key structure, but we may need to “escape the nation-state in order to preserve the nation.” Finally, Asian religions, which aim to harmonise relations between humans and nature, also offer hope in solving global problems. Asia’s Challenges Asia’s story in the twenty-first century cannot, and must not, be limited to economic growth and influence. Leaders in the region must debate, define, and deploy the values that will support Asia’s development and foster Asian leadership at the global level. In biotechnology, for example, what ethics should form the basis for research, drug development, the control of genetic information, and the treatment of clinical subjects and patients? In rebalancing the global economy, how can nations balance savings and consumption and also take responsibility for sustainable global welfare? How can the demands of growth be reconciled with environmental degradation and climate
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change? Faced with increasing complexity and rapid change, can policymakers be persuaded to be more accountable and to balance economic performance with democratic governance? In countries like the Philippines and Thailand, how can politics be prevented from becoming “drunk with morality,” thus evolving into demagogic populism? Can China define its leadership role beyond economic power to include conflict prevention, crisis management, and sustained security cooperation in the region and farther afield? How can Islam, a powerful but contested religion in Asia, be defined to better reflect its diverse forms and history? The discussion, dialogue, and debate on Asian values and transitions have only just begun. Unequivocally, the process of dynamic and honest intellectual exchange between East and West will, and must, continue. Through gatherings like AV21, the school aims to continue being a catalyst for these interchanges.