They came from virtually every corner of this vast continent, from virtually every direction of the ideological compass, from virtually every religious belief and from the widest range of career backgrounds. Some have called it a 2020 Vision for Asia, a roadmap to a better Asian future, or even a manifesto for an Asian Renaissance. There is need for a quieter, more Asian, humility. We of the Commission have a sense of calm confidence for we believe that our modest intellectual efforts do connect with the realities of this moment in time and with the times yet to come.
Ideas have power where they flow with the tide of objective forces.
Our ideas for an Asian Renaissance do flow with the tide of Asian resurgence that has already begun. There will be the return of history - to the times when Asia was the cradle of human civilisation. We hope that in some small way, our work will contribute to this return of history - and to the rise of a New Asia.