Left: Recently resigned president Võ Văn Thưởng. Right: Potential presidential successor Tô Lâm eating gold-leaf adorned steak presented to him by celebrity chef "Salt Bae".
Imagine changing presidents twice in just one year. That’s what’s happening in Vietnam, and it’s not good news for anyone, especially investors.
Vietnam, once a bastion of predictability, now finds itself adrift in turbulent waters as when President Võ Văn Thưởng resigned suddenly on March 20, 2024, after just a year in office, it set off alarm bells. He’s now the second president to leave in two years, all because of a big crackdown on corruption.
The Vietnamese Communist Party decided to accept Thưởng’s resignation, saying he broke some rules. This isn’t a big surprise to people who watch Vietnam closely.
But why did Thưởng have to go? Well, the precise reasons behind Thưởng’s downfall remain shrouded in ambiguity. All they’re saying is that he didn’t follow the rules of the party and the country. Many think it’s all part of the Communist Party’s broader crackdown on corruption within its ranks.
The investigation was spearheaded by Tô Lâm, the 66-year-old Minister of Public Security, who has been at the forefront of Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s anti-corruption drive. Some analysts view Lâm as a potential successor to Thưởng. In fact, Lâm was considered a top contender for the presidency when the position was last vacant a year ago.
However, Lâm has not been without his share of controversy either. In 2021, he grabbed headlines when video footage surfaced showing Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gökçe, famously known as Salt Bae, presenting him with a gold-leaf adorned steak at a restaurant in London.
This incident sparked outrage in Vietnam, with numerous people questioning the appropriateness of a senior official indulging in lavish dining experiences amid an anti-corruption campaign, especially during the peak of the pandemic.
Is Vietnam’s future uncertain?
This isn’t just about one person leaving his job. It’s about what this means for Vietnam’s future. The country has been doing really well economically, especially after the trade war between the United States and China. Investors preferred Vietnam because it had a stable government and good workers, and it wasn’t as strict as China.
But now, with all this political turmoil, investors might get nervous. They don’t like uncertainty, and Vietnam used to be a safe bet. Now, who knows?
Thưởng’s resignation “is not good for political stability”, said Nguyễn Khắc Giang, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, according to a report by Financial Times. “This causes hesitancy for foreign companies who want to make big investments in Vietnam”, he added.
Even the US is worried. They’ve been trying to get closer to Vietnam to balance out China’s influence in the region. President Joe Biden visited Vietnam last year to show how important the relationship is. But the leadership vacuum comes at a precarious moment, with the economy grappling with declining exports and inflationary pressures. With the next National Congress not scheduled until 2026, the nation faces a period of uncertainty unless a clear path to succession is mapped out.
Investor uncertainty
And it is not just politics that is affected. The crackdown on corruption is causing problems for businesses too. It’s slowing down government approvals for projects, and nobody wants to invest if they’re worried about getting caught up in a corruption scandal.
So, what can Vietnam do to fix all this? Well, they need to be open and honest about what’s going on. People need to trust that the government is doing the right thing and that they’re not just getting rid of people they don’t like. And they need to make sure that businesses feel safe investing in Vietnam. That means making sure there are clear rules and that everyone follows them.
If Vietnam can do that, they might be able to get back on track. But if they can’t, they could lose their reputation as a good place to do business. And that would be a big loss for everyone involved.
As the world watches Vietnam’s political drama unfold, the stakes are high, and the path forward remains uncertain. Only time will tell how the nation will sail over these challenging times, and whether it emerges stronger or weaker on the other side.
Sukanya Saha is a contributing editor at The Nordic Times. Based in New Delhi, she is an accomplished journalist who has previously worked with several major Indian media outlets such as NDTV, India Today, IANS, and Jagran English. Currently, she is associated with Hindustan Times.
In 2022, she topped the BRICS International Journalism Programme from India. Committed to understanding the complex dynamics that shape our world, Sukanya's passions range from world politics to science and space exploration.
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In Burgenland, Austria, asylum seekers are required to work – a system that Sweden and the rest of the EU should adopt. Unfortunately, Swedish politicians have demonstrated for decades that the wellbeing of the population and the country rarely tops their agenda.
An interesting model has been introduced in the state of Burgenland, Austria. This week, a system known as the “Burgenland Model” was implemented, requiring asylum seekers to work for their host municipalities. The system aims to place people where extra help is needed most. Those who repeatedly refuse to work without valid reason risk having their social benefits reduced to an absolute minimum.
State Council Member Daniela Winkler, from the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), explained in a speech last week that migration must be both economically and socially sustainable:
– The measures are intended to reflect fairness towards the population. When asylum seekers become engaged contributors to society, prejudices disappear and integration becomes a tangible experience. The structured daily routine provides asylum seekers with stability and purpose during a period of uncertainty. This isn’t about symbolic employment, but rather about real, everyday tasks.
According to a statement on the SPÖ’s website, the work includes landscape and winter maintenance, cleaning, delivery services, and basic tasks in nursing homes and libraries. Work in care services is limited to 20 hours per week, while other community services can extend to 30 hours. Compensation is set at 1.60 euros per hour.
Asylum seekers who refuse to participate without valid reason will have their financial benefits cut. However, access to basic accommodation, food, and healthcare remains guaranteed.
For example, those who refuse to perform mandatory tasks may lose their right to state-provided housing and instead be offered only a “sleeping place”.
The state of Carinthia is also reportedly working to introduce a similar system where participation in community service work will become mandatory for asylum seekers.
This could serve as a model for the entire EU – and particularly relevant for a country like Sweden, where generosity has long characterized migration policy without clear requirements for reciprocity. The problem is that it’s likely at least ten years too late. In Sweden, it would probably take several years of investigations before similar legislation could even be proposed – if it were politically possible at all. It’s still nearly taboo to speak about fairness towards the native population when it comes to migration and integration policy.
An interesting reflection in this context is that migration flows are practically never directed towards Asia – despite low birth rates – because many countries in the region, such as Japan and South Korea, simply don’t admit asylum seekers. They don’t have extensive systems for benefits and allowances similar to those that EU countries (with the exception of Hungary) have offered for decades.
Have you, by the way, noticed how the Swedish parliamentary parties have changed their rhetoric as the election approaches? The Swedish Prime Minister emphasizes in speech after speech the government’s successes and stresses how Sweden “is on the right path”. It’s difficult to understand how he manages to keep a straight face – but the salary for telling people the exact opposite of the truth is certainly good. Unfortunately, it often resonates with people who have too short a memory.
Next summer, all eight parliamentary parties in Sweden will be at the starting blocks for the election campaign. I suspect that the majority of voters – again – will cast their votes for these parties, despite history repeatedly showing that they don’t prioritize their own population. The illusion that they will this time focus on Swedish citizens’ best interests unfortunately seems to run deep.
All Jenny Piper's articles can be found on her blog.
Peace is not a goal – it's a threat to business. European taxpayers are forced to feed the military-industrial complex, while war profiteers convert blood into money.
The Washington Post reported yesterday, citing a high-ranking source within the Ukrainian presidential office, that Ukraine’s economy is teetering on the brink of collapse – despite Western support.
A positive economic impact, previously predicted for mid-2025 based on a ceasefire, is no longer being considered. Instead, efforts are focused on keeping the country afloat.
The fact that the Ukrainian economy hasn’t completely collapsed yet is solely due to extensive Western support. According to anonymous officials and analysts interviewed by the newspaper, there is a possibility that such support will not be sufficient for further development.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, together with the leaders of Denmark, Finland, and Norway, has promised continued support for their top priority – Ukraine. With the help of our tax money, they can likely keep the country afloat through the end of the year, allowing the corrupt regime in Kiev to drain the last of our resources.
Everything is being done to prevent the war from ending, and with substantial help from both mass media and military officials, they ensure the population stays on board. A recent example is Swedish Supreme Commander Michael Claesson’s statement to Dagens Industri (a Swedish business newspaper), where he sees risks and doesn’t rule out that Russia might choose to test NATO’s Article 5 on Swedish territory – now that they feel threatened by NATO’s military buildup.
When Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke to reporters yesterday, he said that the fabricated Russian threat is being used to pressure Western taxpayers for money.
– European taxpayers will spend their money to defuse some threat that they say comes from our country, but it is nothing but an ephemeral threat. This is the technique used to continue pumping out money and supplying Ukraine with weapons.
It was likely no coincidence that the Swedish Armed Forces yesterday showcased their new anti-drone system – with equipment from Swedish defense companies Saab and Bofors, among others – specifically on Gotland, Sweden’s largest island, during the Almedalen Week political forum where many representatives of the military-industrial complex are present.
All Jenny Piper's articles can be found on her blog.
It is ironic that yesterday the Pakistani government formally recommended US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his mediation efforts to end the latest military conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi. Considering that Trump ordered attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan just a few hours later, he can definitely forget about receiving that award. That said, Obama did receive the Peace Prize despite the increase in US military interventions around the world during his time in the White House, so anything is possible.
Trump thus did the dirty work for Israel, which started the problem, and the US will take the blame for the consequences. Smart.
After the attacks, Trump warned Iran that if they do not make peace, more and harsher attacks will follow. Iran, for its part, has already announced that it will not bow down.
Trump has been criticized for his decision to actively enter the war by other US congressmen, some of whom say that the attacks on Iran are grounds for impeaching Trump.
Iran has accused the US of violating international law and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) with its nighttime attacks on important nuclear facilities, while assuring the public that no radioactive contamination has been detected at the sites attacked.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has condemned the US air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a serious violation of international law and writes on X that Tehran reserves all options to respond in accordance with its right to self-defense.
“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior. The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations. In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people”.
Iran is now demanding that the UN Security Council hold an emergency meeting, but everyone already knows that this is just a show, as both the US and Israel have carte blanche in this toothless organization.
At the same time, other forces may wake up when third parties allied with Iran want to get involved. Although major powers such as Russia, North Korea, and China, together with neighboring countries in the Middle East, have so far taken a wait-and-see position because Iran has not wanted support, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis has already warned that if the US gets involved, the group will attack their warships in the Red Sea.
Another unpleasant thought is the many dormant “cells” around the world that may now be activated, with consequences for ordinary people as well. So all those who are now praising Trump’s “bravery” may find themselves eating their words if they start thinking more long term.
Glenn Diesen, professor at the University of Southeast Norway, sums it up well in a post on X, where he stated that US President Donald Trump has once again dragged the country into a conflict in the Middle East.
“Bush ran on a peace platform against nation-building, Obama promised ‘change’, Biden would ‘bring the adults back’, and Trump would get the US out of the forever wars in the Middle East. They all started wars… It does not matter who you vote for, when they do not work for you”.
But there is at least one winner here: the arms industry, whose shares will once again rise when the stock market opens.
Jenny Piper
All Jenny Piper's articles can be found on her blog.
How fanaticism fuels America’s Christian supporters of Israel
A major factor behind America's abnormal subservience to Israel is the Zionist evangelical movement, whose influence has been strengthened by Trump's return to the White House.
The relationship between Christian Europe and Judaism has varied and been complex over the centuries. It has often been marked by strong hostility, with Jews not only being regarded as having rejected Jesus as the true Messiah, but also often accused of being responsible for his crucifixion through the Jewish party and the sect of the Pharisees.
The Jewish diaspora was also generally viewed with great suspicion and was often forced to live in special quarters or areas so that the authorities could control them. Financial activities such as money lending and gold trading also led to them being associated with usury, which was greatly despised in traditional Christian society.
During the Middle Ages, relations between Christians and Jews deteriorated further in many places. In a number of European countries, Jewish residents were expelled, among other things on charges of causing disease outbreaks, poisoning wells, or ritually murdering Christian children. In several cases, there were also outright pogroms in which Jews were physically driven out or executed.
The Pope demanded separation, Luther advocated expulsion
Over the centuries, Jews continued to be regarded as an undesirable group in many places. In 1555, for example, Pope Paul IV declared that they must live separately from Christians, wear symbols that clearly showed which group they belonged to, and were even forbidden from selling anything other than food and second-hand clothes.
In his now highly controversial work The Jews and Their Lies, the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther, went even further, claiming that the Jews were a godless people “who seek to destroy the foundation of our faith” and who, from childhood, are taught to harbor a “poisonous hatred of the goyim” (non-Jews).
Luther therefore advocated either expelling the Jews or forcing them into labor, while burning down their synagogues and schools.
Martin Luther and Pope Paul IV were both strongly critical of Judaism. Montage. Painting: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Jacopino Conte
The contrast in attitude toward the Jewish diaspora between Martin Luther and Paul IV is particularly striking when compared to modern evangelical Christian Zionists, who have their strongest foothold in the US but are also reflected in Nordic Pentecostal movements.
Scofield and the Jews as the chosen people
During the 19th century, a new Christian movement began to emerge in the US and Britain, inspired by biblical prophecies about the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, which was also linked to the return of Jesus to Earth. Some evangelical groups soon began to regard the re-establishment of Israel as a necessary and divine plan.
Similar ideas had been put forward before, but now they would have a broad impact. In 1909, the American theologian and preacher Cyrus Ingerson Scofield wrote a study and reference Bible, the so-called Scofield Bible, which soon became widely read in the United States. It focused heavily on proclaiming that every good Christian must also support Israel and the Jewish people – and that anti-Semitism was to be considered a particularly grave sin.
Scofield’s Bible has had a huge influence on the Christian movement in the United States. Montage. Photo: Geogozz/CC BY-SA 4.0, Unknown
“A man or nation that lifts a voice or hand against Israel invites the wrath of God“, is one of the statements made in the writings, where biblical texts are interpreted very literally. It is repeatedly emphasized that the return of the Jews to Jerusalem is a central part of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind.
It is also proclaimed that Israel will play a decisive role in the apocalyptic events of the end times, which, according to evangelicals, will precede Jesus’ return to earth, and that God’s prophecies in the Old Testament are about the Jews – not about Christians.
As a rule, the book is interpreted as saying that it is the moral and spiritual duty of every Christian to support Israel at all costs. According to this interpretation, if this is not done, the biblical prophecies will not be fulfilled and Christians themselves will not receive God’s salvation and blessing.
“God has promised to bless those who bless the Jews. I believe, as an Evangelical Christian, that the Jewish return to their current homeland in the twentieth century was, and is, a fulfillment of biblical prophecy”, explains prominent evangelical leader Richard Land, for example, explaining his conviction.
The influence of the Scofield Bible on evangelical movements has contributed to what is often described as almost unconditional support for Israel – something that has attracted renewed attention in the wake of international criticism of Israel for its hardline policy in Gaza, which has included accusations of genocide and led to calls for the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Israel supporters demonstrate in New York. Photo: shavnya.com/Unsplash
Evangelical Christians are a big deal in the US, making up over 25% of the population, and they’ve been seen as pretty influential in politics for a long time.
AIPAC finances evangelical candidates
As early as the first half of the 20th century, Christian Zionists supported Jewish immigration to Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel, and their support has continued ever since. Today, Israel is considered an important “alliance partner” – not only for geopolitical reasons, but also for theological ones. These voices are considered by most analysts to be crucial in pushing through the extensive US support for Israel.
The US has also long had an influential Jewish diaspora with a lobby that, for obvious reasons, has appreciated the support of evangelicals. In many cases, large sums of money have been donated to finance the election campaigns of Christian supporters of Israel and to ensure that the US legislative assemblies are dominated by allies of Israel.
AIPAC, together with the ADL, is perhaps the best-known Jewish lobby organization in the US, and after the last election, it declared with satisfaction that almost all of “its” candidates had won their respective elections – while also managing to “stop” a number of Israel-critical challengers.
NEW:
Lindsey Graham said that he prefers to help Israel instead to the hurricane victims in South Carolina:
“I’ve been going all over South Carolina, like most people I haven’t slept much. But look what’s going on in Israel. We have to help our friends to keep the war over… pic.twitter.com/wH8gWEBLDC
Both during Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Christian Zionist influence on American politics intensified – but also during Donald Trump’s first term, when the disputed city of Jerusalem was recognised as the capital of Israel and the US embassy was moved there.
Apocalyptic motives
Christian Zionists are mainly found within the Republican Party, where some examples of prominent evangelical-oriented leaders include Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence is Christian and a very strong supporter of Israel. Photo: US Embassy in Jerusalem/CC BY 2.0
James Lankford, John Thune, Tim Scott, Joni Ernst, and Josh Hawley are some other names belonging to the same movement and representing the same party. Its dominance has contributed to the Republicans pursuing an even more pro-Israel line than their competitors in the Democratic Party – although they too profess to see Israel as an indispensable ally.
Analysts often point out that Christian Zionists’ support for Israel is more ideological than pragmatic, and that they are driven by apocalyptic motives rather than strategic considerations. The movement has also long been accused of exacerbating conflicts in the Middle East, where it has tended to advocate escalation rather than peace talks with regional power Iran.
Here, too, the view is often based on biblical interpretations, where the conflicts in the Middle East are viewed through an apocalyptic lens. Reference is made above all to the Book of Revelation and its prophecies of a “final battle” in which Israel is surrounded by hostile nations that are ultimately defeated. Sometimes Iran, for example, is identified as part of the armies of “Gog and Magog” that will attack Israel – but also be destroyed by fire from the sky.
In a similar vein, Israel’s expulsion of Palestinians is generally seen as part of God’s will, as the Jews are the chosen people who have the right to reclaim the territory promised to them and partially occupied thousands of years ago.
Christian Zionists often identify Iran as part of the armies of “Gog and Magog.” Montage. Painting: unknown (early 13th century), photo: Khamenei.ir
When it comes to US foreign and security policy, evangelicals stand almost exclusively on Israel’s side, and in international forums there is also an agreement to always stand behind their allies and block any attempts at sanctions or condemnation from, for example, the UN.
Family of threatened chief prosecutor
There are many examples of the Christian right’s unconditional support for Israel. When it was first reported that the International Criminal Court was considering issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 12 Republican senators – including Ted Cruz and incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio – responded by declaring that such an order would have direct consequences for the court’s chief prosecutor, his employees, and their family members.
Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are two prominent Christian Zionists. Montage. Photo: U.S. Senate Photographic Studio, Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0
“Target Israel and we will target you”, they threatened, promising “strong sanctions” against the court’s employees and associates, as well as to “bar you and your families from the United States”.
“You have been warned”, the Republicans declared, adding that the US would withdraw all support for the ICC if the court took action against Israel.
Similarly, prominent evangelicals have repeatedly claimed that the UN and its various bodies are “anti-Israel” or even “anti-Semitic” when Israeli crimes have been condemned, and senators such as Ted Cruz have declared that the US must leave the organization entirely if Israel is expelled.
Although there are a few dissenting voices, there is also much to suggest that the US under Donald Trump’s administration will pursue a more pro-Israel policy than has been the case under the Biden administration.
“No one is safe from their wrath”
Critics argue that it is very difficult in practice for US politicians to advocate a line where the US puts its own national interests ahead of Israel’s, given the strong influence of the pro-Israel lobby, which devotes considerable resources to fighting candidates who are not perceived as sufficiently loyal to Israel.
– No one is safe from their wrath, explains left-wing figure Connor Farrell.
To ensure that politicians truly promote Israel’s interests on all issues, it has emerged, for example, that all Republican members of Congress have a personal lobbyist from AIPAC with whom they are in close contact and who influences how they vote on various issues. However, this is something that politicians generally prefer not to tell voters, according to libertarian Congressman Thomas Massie.
–It doesn’t benefit anybody. Why would they want to tell their constituents that they’ve basically got a buddy system with somebody who’s representing a foreign country? It doesn’t benefit the congressman for people to know that. So they’re not going to tell you that, says Massie.
