Author: CRT Admin

Recently in Hanoi, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam met to prepare for next year’s party conference.  On the internet, one can become aware of a deep chasm between the party and the Vietnamese people.  I was sent a link to a short essay by an anonymous writer on the voice of the “powerless.”  The essay is attached here.

This emotionally compelling comment on power puts in high relief the Caux Round Table Principles for Government.  These principles, in part, affirm:

Just as the Principles for Business, these Principles for Government derive from two ethical ideals: “kyosei” and “human dignity.”  The Japanese concept of “kyosei” looks to living and working together for the common good, while the moral vision of “human dignity” refers to the sacredness or value of each person as an end, not simply as a means to the fulfillment of others’ purposes or even of majority demands.

The state is the servant and agent of higher ends.  It is subordinate to society.  Public power is to be exercised within a framework of moral responsibility for the welfare of others.  Governments that abuse their trust shall lose their authority and may be removed from office.

My correspondent made three points in his cover letter:

First, the most consequential task of the forthcoming Party Congress is to pick Vietnam’s leaders. Which individuals will rise to the top of the country’s power structure and who will be passed over?  From personalities will come policy.  From policy will come weal or woe for the people.

More and more in Vietnam, the thought is to decentralize control of the economy, politics, education, culture and the press.

Secondly, the references by Party General Secretary To Lam to a “new era” or to “newness” for Vietnam and the Vietnamese are not supported by specific ideas or recommendations.

Thirdly, is there a deadlock within the party leadership between those who see the value in and the wisdom of “newness” leading to reform of the system of concentrated power and control of people’s lives and those who prefer the status-quo, which privileges them as the “powerful?”

With a ceasefire achieved between Israel and Hamas, the shooting and bombing in Gaza has stopped.  But is that peace?  Given its 1988 charter, a covenant by its own terms, Hamas is at perpetual war with Jews.  That covenant with Allah says:

Today it is Palestine, tomorrow it will be one country or another.  The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates.  When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion and so on.  Their plan is embodied in the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying.

Leaving the circle of struggle with Zionism is high treason and cursed be he who does that.  “For whoso shall turn his back unto them on that day, unless he turneth aside to fight or retreateth to another party of the faithful, shall draw on himself the indignation of Allah and his abode shall be hell; an ill journey shall it be thither.” (The Spoils – verse 16).  There is no way out except by concentrating all powers and energies to face this Nazi, vicious Tatar invasion.  The alternative is loss of one’s country, the dispersion of citizens, the spread of vice on earth and the destruction of religious values.  Let every person know that he is responsible before Allah, for “the doer of the slightest good deed is rewarded in like and the doer of the slightest evil deed is also rewarded in like.”

The Islamic Resistance Movement considers itself to be the spearhead of the circle of struggle with world Zionism and a step on the road.  The movement adds its efforts to the efforts of all those who are active in the Palestinian arena.  Arab and Islamic peoples should augment by further steps on their part.  Islamic groupings all over the Arab world should also do the same, since all of these are the best-equipped for the future role in the fight with the warmongering Jews.

Thus, it would seem that as long as there are Jews in the Holy Land, once ruled entirely by Muslims (as Hamas notes in its Covenant), Hamas will fight them as a religious obligation not to be avoided.  This is not a vision of peace.

But the Hamas interpretation of the will of Allah is not the only one.

The Prophet Muhammad made covenants with the children of Israel to respect and protect them. He did this as an agent of Allah.

A colleague of ours, Recep Senturk, dean of the College of Islamic Studies at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha, Qatar, has written a book with a stunning proposal.

He points to the passage in Qur’an that affirms the equality of all descendants of Adam: “I am, therefore, I have rights and duties.”

Recep draws conclusions from this verse that a moral standard of Adamiyyah – equality among those who carry the DNA of Adam – applies in our time everywhere there are descendants of Adam.

The book is available on Amazon here.

Please buy a copy as soon as you can and read it.  Consider for yourself the implications for reconciliation between Palestinians and the Jews of Israel if both peoples would accept the premise of Adamiyyah and therefore learn to accept the other as worthy and respectable and not an enemy.

Two Wall Street Journal reporters (David Uberti and Jack Pitcher) just wrote on the dramatic market rush to buy gold – an inert metal that pays no interest.  Is this a judgment on Trump- managed capitalism?

They write:

Investors worried about the future of the dollar and other major currencies are piling into gold, bitcoin and other alternative assets, powering what has become known on Wall Street as the debasement trade. …

Most-actively-traded gold futures on Tuesday surpassed $4,000 a troy ounce for the first time. On Wednesday, gold rose further to settle at $4,043.30 a troy ounce.

The gold rally of 2025 is unusual in that it hasn’t been fueled by a financial meltdown.  A 52% gain in futures this year is on track to outpace similar surges during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2007-09 recession, trailing only the inflationary shock in 1979.

These days, investors are pouring money into precious metals such as gold and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin at the same time President Trump has pledged to juice the economy through tax cuts and traders have pushed stocks to records with a fervor for all things artificial intelligence.

As investors make increasingly speculative bets that the boom will continue, they are also looking for ways to shield themselves from potential fallout of U.S. policy dysfunction, including widening budget deficits and the current government shutdown.  That is pushing them into assets not denominated in dollars.

Wall Street has pointed to this move as evidence that ballooning debt and uncomfortably high inflation are disrupting the outlook for currencies underpinning the global financial system.

“We’re seeing a tug of war,” said Joe Davis, chief economist at Vanguard Group.  “You’ve got the S&P 500 pricing in an AI supernova and you’ve got the gold camp saying, ‘We’re going to have structural deficits, we have fiscal pressure in the U.S., and I need to manage that risk.’”

Gold prices have risen for years … Trump’s promise to upend the global trading system in 2025 added momentum by pushing the U.S. dollar by one measure to its weakest first half in more than five decades.

What do you think?

As a fan of Adam Smith – the writer of both An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments – I want to share most of the recent commentary written for the Wall Street Journal by former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm and a colleague on how President Trump’s obsession with tariffs is a very bad, long term growth strategy for our national economy and is incompatible with successful free markets and creation of the “wealth of nations.”

Gramm’s argument validates one of the Caux Round Table’s Principles for Business:

Principle 5: Support Responsible Globalization:

-A responsible business, as a participant in the global marketplace, supports open and fair multilateral trade.
-A responsible business supports reform of domestic rules and regulations where they unreasonably hinder global commerce.

Here is Gramm’s essay.

Consider these quotes and reflect on this question: In thinking about his place in our world, does this man (Donald Trump) have a reassuring grip on reality?

“And I don’t mind making the speech without a teleprompter because the teleprompter is not working.  I feel very happy to be up here with you nevertheless and that way you speak more from the heart.  I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”

“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up, stopped right in the middle.  If the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen.  But she’s in great shape.  We’re both in good shape.  We both stood.  And then a teleprompter that didn’t work.  These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”

“… the guns of war have shattered the peace I forged on two continents.”

“One year ago, our country was in deep trouble, but today, just eight months into my administration, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world and there is no other country even close.”

“Under my leadership, energy costs are down, gasoline prices are down, grocery prices are down, mortgage rates are down and inflation has been defeated.”

“In my first term, I built the greatest economy in the history of the world.  We had the best economy ever, history of the world and I’m doing the same thing again, but this time, it’s actually much bigger and even better.  The numbers far surpass my record-setting first term.”

“My administration has negotiated one historic trade deal after another, including with the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and many, many others.”

“… in a period of just seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars.  They said they were unendable. … No president or prime minister.  And for that matter, no other country has ever done anything close to that and I did it in just seven months.  It’s never happened before.  There’s never been anything like that.  Very honored to have done it.  It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them.  And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them.”

“I’ve also been working relentlessly stopping the killing in Ukraine.  I thought that would be, of the seven wars that I stopped, I thought that would be the easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, which had always been a good one.”

“I’m really good at this stuff.  Your countries are going to hell.  In America, we’ve taken bold action to swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration.”

“And I’m really good at predicting things.  They actually said during the campaign, they had a hat, the best-selling hat.  Trump was right about everything.  And I don’t say that in a braggadocious way, but it’s true.  I’ve been right about everything.”

“He liked me.  I liked him and I only do business with people I like.”

In reflecting on his words, consider this summary from Google AI:

“Grandiose overt narcissism is a subtype of narcissistic personality disorder characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, a need for constant admiration and a lack of empathy, all of which are displayed outwardly.  Unlike more hidden “vulnerable” narcissism, grandiose narcissists are often charming, outgoing and appear highly confident, using this persona to achieve their desires for power, prestige and control.  While they may seem successful, this facade masks a fragile ego that relies on external validation and their behavior often involves arrogance, entitlement and a tendency to manipulate others.”

Key characteristics:

-Inflated self-importance: A grandiose sense of self-importance, believing they are superior to others and destined for great things.

-Need for admiration: A deep need for excessive admiration and praise from others to validate their perceived superiority.

-Lack of empathy: A profound inability to recognize or care about the feelings and needs of others.

-Charismatic and outgoing: Often possess superficial charm and charisma, drawing people into their orbit, especially when they want something.

-Sense of entitlement: A firm belief that they deserve special treatment and automatic compliance with their expectations.

-Arrogance and haughtiness: Exhibit an arrogant or haughty demeanor and behavior.

-Manipulation and exploitation: Willingness to lie, cheat or manipulate others to achieve their goals.

-Fragile ego: Beneath the outward confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that requires constant external validation to maintain.

We recently posted several short videos on relevant and timely topics.  They include:

–Immigration as Hosts and Guests

–Pope Leo and the Caux Round Table Principles

–On Words and Violence

–The Reality of Supply and Demand

–Caux Round Table Principles as a Blueprint for the UN

All our videos can be found on our YouTube page here.  We recently put them into 9 playlists, which you can find here.

If you aren’t following us on Twitter or haven’t liked us on Facebook, please do so.  We update both platforms frequently.

Here is a short essay of mine on the American meltdown in self-confidence after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

I have lived through the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.

Given a new mass culture of nihilism and narcissism and the divisiveness attendant on loss of common ideals, the impact of this assassination – expressed by one commentator after another – seems more invidious.