During the opening session of the Young Professionals’ Program (YPP), participants discussed conceptions that undergird the relations of East Asia, such as order, leadership, and the liberal international order. Participants focused on normative questions presented by the moderators, including whether US power is benign and whether the economic crisis would affect the US role in the region. The breadth of the discussion and brief time allotted did not allow for a consensus to emerge on any of these questions, but encouraged an exchange of views from participants from diverse backgrounds.