The recently signed Almaty Act called for a dialogue among civilisations - a pioneering endeavour. But as cracks appear in venerated systems and institutions, the need for a search for beliefs assumes enduring importance. This essay suggests that such a search for a priori propositions can only begin if a billion vocies rise and are also willing to listen to one another.
President Bush inherits a poisoned chalice with climbing rates of child poverty, no organised health insurance, an America perched on a mountain of unsold and unsaleable inventory and burgeoning domestic and foreign debt.
