Epilogue: A Multi-civilizational World Order

Modern West is sui generis. By pioneering the shift to industry, Europe ushered in the multi-civilizational era. In this age, societies belonging to various civilizational archetypes would inhibit the same planet, but in their exclusive orbits. The world will be more global yet more unequal. Life will become increasingly fragmented, complex, and chaotic. Islands of prosperity will exist amidst a sea of misery. Leap to the industrial orbit will be a Herculean task – nearly insurmountable. Escape from the desperate existence at the bottom will be possible, but the only way out will pass through the gates of reason.

About the speaker

Academic Qualifications
Master in Public Administration – Harvard (1996-98)
Master in International Relations – Japan (1989-91)
BS Mech. Engineering – UT Austin (1983-86)

Work Experience
Financial and Private Sector – World Bank, Washington, DC
International Dept. – Industrial Bank of Japan, Tokyo
Middle East Business Dept. – Sony Corp., Tokyo
Engineering Dept. – ICI Pakistan, Ltd.

Syed Sardar Ali did his F.Sc. from Govt. College Lahore and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.  He earned his first master’s degree in International Relations from Japan and worked for Sony Corporation and the Industrial Bank of Japan in Tokyo. He later earned Master in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard where he was a student of Prof. Samuel Huntington. Upon graduation he joined the World Bank in Washington, DC and worked in the Financial and Private Sector Unit in the Europe and Central Asia region until 2002. Sardar Ali, who runs a number of businesses in Islamabad and Lahore, is the Chairperson of Crescent Foundation. He has one daughter and three sons.