Asia is considered the great development success story, while Africa and to a lesser extent South America have lagged since the 1970s. Beyond the traditional rhetoric of South-South cooperation, various Asian countries are now increasingly engaged in outward economic activity also into Africa and South America, challenging established patterns. The 2008 Barnes Symposium addresses issues associated with emerging (Asian) multinational enterprises, private and quasi-private sector driven development, business and human rights, and, on the religion side, the extent to which behavior and law is actually influenced by religious doctrine as opposed to social custom as part of the non-Western environment (tribalism problems, including but also beyond Islam).