Forty-two former World Bank senior executives have written a letter urging the resignation of World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, and if you’re wondering if the White House will turn a deaf ear to them the way they have towards the bipartisan calls for Alberto Gonzales’ resignation, wonder no longer. According to news reports, the White House has drawn up a list of possible replacements for Wolfowitz. (Maybe it was the fact that Wolfie breached national security for something as silly as getting his lady friend a job.) I found this interesting:
Most prominent on the list is Ashraf Ghani, the man credited with overhauling the economy of Afghanistan after September 11… Such an appointment would mark the first time a non-American has held the position in the 60-year history of the global lender.
If you’re wondering why the White House has so much control over naming the head of the World Bank, an international aid organization independent of the United States government, it’s because the U.S. and Europe have worked out a sweet deal wherein the U.S. names the World Bank president and the E.U. names the head of the IMF. Asia, who is grossly underrepresented in both organizations, has little say. The situation with Wolfowitz has created calls to revamp this privilege-laden process.
