Whither the New World Order? ..BY: By Francis Dass ..LD: PETER Ashby, director of the United Kingdom-based New World Order Forum, talks to FRANCIS DASS about the dominant role of the United States in today's global affairs and why the United Nations remai.

(From New Straits Times (Malaysia))

PETER Ashby, director of the United Kingdom-based New World Order Forum, talks to FRANCIS DASS about the dominant role of the United States in today's global affairs and why the United Nations remains toothless and ineffective.

IF there was an Oscar race for generating intellectual thoughts and precise observations of the political arena, you can bet that Peter Ashby will be quite ahead of the pack.

You can also bet that before the envelope is ever opened to announce the winner, Ashby will be putting to good use the time making people do what many seldom have time to do in this very rushed modern life: think.

Ashby is the director of the United Kingdom-based New World Order Forum, "an independent think-tank that specialises in running high-level ideas- building sessions for carefully selected groups of international opinion- leaders on key aspects of global policy" (www.touchslough.com/webpro/newworld/).

The Englishman was here recently to address a small crowd at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institut Kajian Oksidental on the topic of Asia & Europe: Creating A New Politics of Trust for Better Governance.

He spoke to Learning Curve on a variety on issues after his enlightening presentation.

When asked for his opinion of the American political system and its recent evolution, for example, his reply was invested with a sound knowledge of history and a precision in his observations that might even make the Swiss envious.

"In America, the party is less important in …