Posted on 03/17/2005 12:13:34 AM PST by BigSkyFreeper
PARIS - Around the world, the notion of U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz leading the World Bank met with reactions that ranged mainly from official reserve to outright denunciation, but there was some support.
Wolfowitz, nominated Wednesday by President Bush, is widely seen as a key instigator in the U.S. push to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. International organizations worried about the nominee's hawkish politics and questioned whether he is right for the job.
Bush, who has sought to mend ties with European allies that opposed the Iraq war, called French President Jacques Chirac to tell him the news.
Chirac, one of the staunchest critics of the war, "took note of this candidacy," his office said, adding that "France would examine it in the spirit of friendship between France and United States and with an eye on the capital mission of the World Bank to the service of development."
Japan, a U.S. ally in the Iraq war, gave its support to Bush's choice.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed support for Wolfowitz in a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda lavished praise on Wolfowitz. "He's a great person and he is well-versed in issues regarding development in Asia," Hosoda told reporters. "Japan would like to support Mr. Wolfowitz."
One of those most vocally opposed to the idea was U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's top poverty adviser.
"It's time for other candidates to come forward that have experience in development," Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and an Annan adviser, said in a speech to the U.N. Economic and Social Council.
"This is a position on which hundreds of millions of people depend for their lives," he said. "Let's have a proper leadership of professionalism." The United Nations (news - web sites) had no comment.
Development and anti-poverty groups joined the chorus of criticism.
"As well as lacking any relevant experience, he is a deeply divisive figure who is unlikely to move the bank toward a more pro-poor agenda," said Patrick Watt, policy officer at British charity Action Aid.
Dave Timms, spokesman for London-based World Development Network, called it a "terrifying appointment" that highlighted a lack of democracy in major lending institutions. A European traditionally heads the International Monetary fund, while an American takes the helm at the World Bank.
"You can't have a situation where rich countries lecture developing countries about democracy and then aren't prepared to exercise democracy in this kind of appointment."
Sweden's minister of International Development Cooperation Carin Jaemtin, said she was "very skeptical" with the choice, telling Swedish news agency TT, she had hoped for a candidate who would carry out the policies of outgoing bank president James Wolfensohn.
Wolfowitz, 61, was among the most forceful of those in the Bush administration in arguing that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, and he had predicted that Americans would be welcomed as liberators rather than occupiers once they toppled Saddam's government.
Wolfowitz' reputation as a hard-liner made it difficult to cheer his nomination to head the World Bank, said Nigerian newspaper columnist Pini Jason. He said Wolfowitz's selection could be a "bad omen" for the Third World.
"It is very likely that George Bush will want to link World Bank policies to his own vision of democratizing the world: Democracy according to the White House," said Jason, who writes for The Vanguard newspaper.
WOW!
You posted an article!
How many does this make?
And if the Europeans do not like that then too bad.
"First of all I appreciate the world leaders taking my phone calls, as I explained to them why I think Paul will be a strong president of the World Bank. I've said he was a man of good experience, he helped manage a large organization, the World Bank's a large organization, the Pentagon's a large organization. He's been involved in the management of that organization. He's a skilled diplomat, worked at the state department, high positions, ambassador to Indonesia where he did a very good job representing our country, and Paul is committed to development. He's a compassionate, decent man who will do a fine job in the World Bank. " - President Bush, March 16, 2005 Press Conferenece
This makes 93 threads that I have posted. :)
How is your husband doing?
It's another Jewish neocon conspiracy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hah! That was the first thing that came to mind when I finished reading the article. The left in this country can't get over the fact that their guy Saddam is in jail, the Iraq regime is toppled, and Iraq is now living under freedom, and freedom is slowly spreading through the Middle East. The left should be happy Israel is letting their pals, the Palestinians, run 4 cities.
It must be really shocking for all those wealthy bureaucrats who obtained all their wealth by skimming the money that's supposed to go to poor people.
for a morning read about the left losing their minds over this :0)
He thinks it might interfere with his work fighting Kofi Annan's poverty.
I'm delighted by this choice. The World Bank is one of those institutions that makes one think of Jack Nicholson as "The Joker" saying, "This town needs an enema!"
Regards, Ivan
Was Paul Wolfowitz in banking before he came to the DOD? Is the World Bank actually a bank, making real loans that it expects to collect payments on? No and no. So, it's a perfect fit, a non-banker to run a non-bank.
Ah yes, the ole reliable JOOOOOOSSSSSSSish conspiracies. Can't wait till the moonbats get started on this one!! Should be entertaining.
:-)
It's not like he has to work the drive thru window.
What does "nominated" mean? Does he have to be approved by some group before it takes effect? Who?
Who wants to be "pro-poor"?
They should be anti-poor in my opinion.
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