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Caux Round Table 2011 Global Dialogue

Must there be a Clash of Civilizations?

Caux Round Table 2011 Global Dialogue

Must there be a Clash of Civilizations?

Published 04-26-11

Submitted by Caux Round Table, The

The Caux Round Table announces its 2011 Global Dialogue in Washington, D.C., USA for July 27, 28 and 29, 2011 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Registration is available on the Caux Round Table website at www.cauxroundtable.org.

The co-host for the Dialogue is the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Fifteen years ago the late Harvard Professor Samuel P. Huntington, former member of the Caux Round Table Academic Advisory Board, published his provocative thesis on a Clash of Civilizations. At the center of the prospective cultural conflicts would be the United States and its political and economic values. What better place to discuss the continuing relevance of Huntington's thesis than Washington, DC? And today there is violent conflict between America and some Islamic fundamentalists and tension between America and a newly powerful China - as Huntington predicted.

If, on the other hand, the Caux Round Table is correct that there are core values of responsible business and government shared by all religions and cultures, then why should there be any clash of civilizations?

Among the questions to be addressed at this year's Global Dialogue:

  • Are civilizations clashing?
  • Free markets and clashing values: Is there a global standard for business conduct?
  • Global financial intermediation: Stability or conflict?
  • Guidelines for business when cultures clash.

The preliminary agenda is available on the Caux Round Table website: www.cauxroundtable.org.

The environment in which global business must succeed or fail is changing dramatically. Old paradigms are falling away - European governments have defended the Euro; the American consensus on a soft, social welfare state has unraveled; Arab and North African governments and societies will never be the same again; Chinese influence has reached heights unparalleled in history; the power of nature displayed in Japan raises new questions as to how our civilization can sustainably generate the electricity it needs for daily survival; and military interventions in Libya and the Ivory Coast have given new strength to international norms of justice.

Participants at the Caux Round Table's 26th Global Dialogue will contribute their views and experiences on large global challenges facing not only business decision-makers, but all national and international leaders and their constituents.

Co-sponsored by:

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Caux Round Table, The

Caux Round Table, The

Vision: Our VISION is for a world with - Rising Living Standards, Social Justice and Human Dignity for All Our vision is all about being obsessed with better possibilities for all. This vision is not small; to facilitate change for the better in humanity's ability to raise living standards, provide for social justice and realize the fullness of individual human dignity in all our days is a challenge of massive proportions but it is a challenge we readily accept. To achieve it, we will have to inspire and lead with inspiration and courage.

Mission: Our MISSION is twofold:

* To promote moral capitalism and responsible government

* To ensure greater prosperity, sustainability and fairness in a global economy.

These are our overarching goals and priorities. They translate our vision into a concrete view of our direction and purpose.

We believe Moral Capitalism is the only system with the potential to reduce global poverty and tyranny and address the needs and aspirations of individuals, societies, and nations.

As Stephen Young, the Executive Director of the Caux Round Table has written, "the challenge of moral capitalism is to tip the balance of wealth creation toward humanity's more noble possibilities and away from the dynamics of more brutish behavior."

The Caux Round Table stands for movement from aspiration to action. We straddle the ideals of principles and of ethical concern for the common good and the practical needs of businesses and governments to "get it right" in their actions and decisions. To facilitate implementation of a more moral capitalism, the Caux Round Table provides decision-making guidelines in the form of principles for business, principles for governments, principles for NGOs, and principles for the owners of wealth. The Caux Round Table futher provides a comprehensive risk assessment approach to CSR and stakeholder relationships, Arcturus, and a way of encourageing individuals to reflect on their decision-making styles to move from self-centered frameworks to stakeholder frameworks in business and public policy decision-making. We also provide educational programs for company directors, CSR certificates, and handbooks on CSRT for small and medium size enterprises and on the practice of moral government.

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