Vol. 12 No.06               June 2003/Safar/Rabi-al-Saani 1424 H                  Price Rs. 2.00

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A combination of Asean cohesiveness, East Asian economic strength, and developing countries’ solidarity through the Non-Aligned Movement and similar groupings should give us the firmness and confidence to influence the course of world events. Nevertheless, the making of a new order cannot be a question of strength or might alone, be it economic, political or military. This is because an order founded on strength or might will only mean servility of the weak to the strong or dependence of the poor on the rich. What we need is a new pattern of relationships where the use of power and influence is guided by ethical considerations, and where assistance does not breed dependence. 

In our own small way, we have striven to realize these ideals in Asean. Asean succeeded so well because the Asean Pax was established without an imperium. The sense of equality and mutual respect is deeply entrenched. Should any country venture to dominate others the grouping would collapse immediately as was the case with several other regional groupings in the developing world. Collectively, we strive to achieve true and lasting peace, not a dry and frigid accord founded on balances of power and deterrence, of checks and counterchecks. 

The new world order cannot be based on the hegemony or insular perspective of a particular civilization and culture. The notion of a clash of civilizations is the latest manifestation that the West has limited ability to deal with a pluralistic and multicultural world. The probably reassuring development is that it is in the domain of ideas and knowledge that the course of events in the political sphere has often been foretold. More than a decade before the revolt of the masses against it, socialism had lost its appeal among intellectuals. Now, in the market-place of ideas, the totalitarian concept of modernity, which is the philosophical foundation for the European and Atlantic claim for hegemony, is helpless under constant intellectual assault from multiculturalism and postmodernism. In the history of civilizations, once the ideational foundation of a civilization is undermined, its fate is sealed. Thus, the proliferation of writing debunking modernity and advocating multiculturalism, including its many artistic expression, indicates that a new pattern of relations, with its political ramifications, is fast emerging. 

The new global order must be rooted in the reality of a pluralistic and multicultural world. The rise of the West since the Renaissance and the Enlightenment has contributed immensely to the store of human culture and learning. Despite the harm the Western powers had inflicted during and after colonialism, no non-Western society can deny its indebtedness to the West. We have absorbed from the West not only their science and technology, but also the modern education system, statecraft and economic management. But we cannot be slavish in our adoption. While we must continuously strive to realize noble ideals such as democracy, human freedom and dignity, we cannot turn a blind eye to the realities in our society. We cannot accept that all those who clamour for democracy and freedom are well-intentioned. Just as the devil can cite scripture for his own purpose, the most totalitarian regimes can also trumpet slogans about liberty, equality and freedom in order to foment hatred and create disorder. The threat of ethnic fanaticism and religious extremism is very real. It is the complexity of the situation the Western observers and even governments fail to appreciate. As the Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz has said, the West does not seem to be wanting in good intentions, but it suffers from lack of humanity. 

As Asia’s reawakening proceeds apace, both East and West should forge a symbiosis of cultures and realize the universal community of the human race. In the words of Tagore: The night has ended. Put out the light of the lamp of thine own narrow corner smudged with smoke.The great morning which is for all appears in the East.Let its light reveal us to each other who walk on the same path of pilgrimage.

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