MELBOURNE, Australia -- Unless there is at least one institution, such as the church, dedicated to posing the ethical dilemmas present in the public policy debate, there is a grave danger that these debates automatically become subsumed by the pragmatic considerations of politics.

However imperfect the current order might be, strengthening that order is better than no order at all. Better also to have a common strategic purpose with the United States than none at all, thus further running the risk of long-term and potentially irreparable strategic drift.

Many in China perceive that the United States has not, and never will, accept the fundamental political legitimacy of the Chinese administration because it is not a liberal democracy. There is also a deeply held, deeply "realist" Chinese conclusion that the U.S. will never willingly concede its status as the pre-eminent regional and global power, and will do everything within its power to retain that position.

The big risk is that neither side will be willing to make concessions, because each expects the other to blink first. That leads straight to escalating rivalry and an ever-higher risk of war.

Nested in the hills of the Hudson Valley, a group of men took the stage to talk about what it means to be a man. The conversation continued throughout the weekend and was the first time men were invited to the annual conference Women and Power.