Predictions of Paul Wolfowitz's performance as head of.....

[whistle]

...the World Bank:

<snip>
March 17, 2005
On the Nomination of Paul Wolfowitz to Head the World Bank
By Bill Fletcher, Jr., President of TransAfrica Forum


The most curious thing about the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank is not so much the nomination, but the response. Throughout the world there is shock mixed with indignation. Why, we at TransAfrica Forum ask, should there be any shock? Did anyone truly believe that following the November 2004 elections that President Bush had turned over a new leaf and was prepared to engage the world in anything less than bullying? Why are commentators so easily deceived by one or two speeches by the President that suggest bi-partisanship, or willingness to cooperate, when this conflicts so clearly with the course of this administration?

The nomination of Wolfowitz demonstrates the contempt that the Bush administration holds for the opinion of foreign leaders and their peoples. Wolfowitz, an admitted major architect and cheerleader for the illegal US war and occupation of Iraq, is precisely what the World Bank does NOT need in a leader. This is both due to symbolism and substance.

On substance, the question that must be asked is what precisely does Wolfowitz know about development and the issues facing the planet’s underdevelopment countries? When has Wolfowitz demonstrated that he is a champion for the downtrodden on this planet? When has Wolfowitz advanced ideas that recognize the need for nations to follow a self-determined path for economic development? One can guess the answer.

The symbolism of the act of nominating Wolfowitz is just about as important as the action itself. An individual who dismissed international concern about the proposed and actualized US invasion of Iraq cannot be taken seriously as a leader who will be able to negotiate in a complicated and often contentious, international diplomatic environment. In fact, the nomination of Wolfowitz also serves as a poison pill, not so much for an already flawed and anti-people institution—the World Bank—but for any possibility of constructive relations between the US and most of this planet, at least through the length of this Administration.

Bill Fletcher, Jr. is President of TransAfrica Forum
Bill Fletcher, Jr. can be reached at [e-mail]

<link> http://transafricaforum.org/newslettercurrent.html

[welshTerrier2]

1. DU does not seem to understand how dangerous this is

here was my thread on the subject a few days ago: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3756121

zero responses ... unbelievable ... using the IMF and the World Bank to crush weaker countries into obeying their US overlords is every bit as dangerous as using the US military to force compliance and build the great neo-con corporate empire ...

and if you're not up for reading the effect Wolfowitz will have on the Iraq debacle (my post), check out this excellent article that talks about his role at the IMF: http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0531-33.htm

[whistle]

2. Posted at your link and here also....

Even here on DU the principle of repetition is a necessary.....


...tool in getting a message across. Then there were the Memorial Day holidays that competed for cyberspace as well, I guess. Well, now there are two of us who are aware and you just doubled my exposure through your link and hopefully I had some impact with you. Now, let's hope this goes nuclear! Thanks for the link.

[jmcon007]

3. Sorry you haven't gotten more response..but give it time.

I'll confess I wasn't sure what the Wolfowitz nomination meant at the time, but you are helping to educate me. I knew it could not be good, because I know Wolfowitz.
He was the architect of the Iraq war who didn't know how many troops had died at the point of his Congressional hearing. I couldn't believe it. He could give a rat's ass.
As a war veteran and leader of a relatively small group of men in VietNam in 1969 I know first hand how a leader feels about the safety of his troops. Our civilian "leadership" don't have a clue, nor do they care.
I'm far short of understanding the functions of the World Bank, but I do know to lead this body requires compassion above all else. WELL above all else.
By definition every American should be very concerned about the Wolfowitz nomination.
My question is.....I believe if any nation kicks a fuss about the nomination, it could be nixed. What's up with this? How can Wolfowitz still head the World Bank when his nomination has to be confirmed by the member nations? I expect these jelly legs NOT to complain about his "leadership" in the future.
I know you understand that with all the scandals, all the lying, all the secrecy, all the partisanship with this Administration being revealed on a daily basis, it's hard to keep up with it all.
Believe me....DUers care. Give them time to shift their attention from which ever one of the myriad thefts and lies of this administration they're focused on at the moment.
You're right, there is little more important than the Wolfowitz nomination to head the World Bank. It's very ominous.

[welshTerrier2]

4. the PR game ...

Wolfowitz will do all the photo ops ... he'll be seen patting sick little children on the head in African hospitals ... they'll be a shot of Paul in the back of a Red Cross truck loading packages of food and medicine to some impoverished third world nation ... what a guy !!! you just gotta love him ...

and some legitimate things will be accomplished at the IMF ... if it were 100% evil, it would be much too visible ... that's NOT how the game is played ... using the IMF to exploit foreign governments is a most subtle business ... on the outside, everything has to look just so ... suspicions must not be raised ... loans are made to desperate foreign leaders that can never be repaid ... the money goes to US corporations who step in to "help" ... they make money but the foreign country does not ...

somewhere, right when just enough economic clout is needed to tip the balance, Wolfie will help give some poor foreign leader just the teensy-weensiest nudge ... not a public nudge; a very private one ... and that makes all the difference ... it's like the straw that broke the camel's back ... what we have here is a game of international blackmail ...

and voila!!! Iraq's Jafaari will grant the US privileges to occupy permanent military bases inside Iraq ... and voila!!! US troops will be Alawi, er, allowed to amass along the border with Syria or with Iran to "protect" the US investment in Iraq's oil rebuilding projects ... and voila!!! if Jafaari refuses to play ball, he will be disappeared!!! Jafaari will be no more ... of course, bush will have done all he possibly could have to protect Jafaari from those Al Qaeda assassins who obviously were sent into Iraq by the Iranian government ...

got the script?

[jmcon007]

5. and all the while innocents become refugees and are allowed to

starve or be slaughtered. We upstanding Americans attempt to influence public opinion by advertising. The leaders of some of these rogue nations Wolfowitz plans to "deal" with (in securing the things Bush wants) affect their public opinion by putting the troublesome tribe leader's head on a stick for all to see. Very effective.
One day, though, the people will rise up against this inhumanity and establish legitimate governments headed by one of their own.
And what happens to our ability to deal with these nations from that point on? Just ask the Shah of Iran. Oh...that's right, he died in exiled disgrace.
Yes, we Americans are slumbering and refuse to learn from history. Are we merely waiting for every single person on earth to hate us before we realize we need to do something?
Waiting can no longer be an option.
There has to be drastic measures we can take within the law to get the attention of our sleepy-head brothers and sisters.