Friday, May 18, 2007
Wolfowitz resigns. Who is to head the World Bank?
Paul Wolfowitz is to resign as head of the World Bank. Personally, I think it is a stitch up as is described in this Wall Street Journal feature The Wolfowitz Files from a while back. Oh well. So the question is who should be the next head of the World Bank. There is someone qualified who is in between jobs: why Tony Blair should head the WB.
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The British press seemed to pick up a few days ago on the idea that there might be moves to send the PM to the World Bank. The fact that Wolfowitz's departure date is held back to after the PM goes was held up as evidence, I believe. Setting aside the fact that, as the FT notes, the PM might actually be a pretty good choice on a number of levels, as far as I'm concerned this just showcases the credulity and silliness of some journos. I will bet a pound to a penny that Mr Blair will not even get within sniffing distance of heading up the World Bank and that nobody in a position of power in the US will have given the notion a second thought. The position is traditionally in the gift of the Americans, the office holder is traditionally an American and there is absolutely nothing in the record of the US administration to suggest that their gratitude to Mr Blair would extend to giving a British social democrat that sort of job over the head of an American. Congress would have kittens, apart from anything else.
As for Wolfowitz, it does smell of a stitch-up to me. That said, I think he's played his hand very clumsily and should probably "should have f***ing better known better", as Quentin Tarantino would have put it. I actually thought, contrary to the wailings that were heard at the time, that Wolfowitz would be a good choice for the World Bank (quite apart from being glad to see him away from the Pentagon). That said, it would appear that in spite of his good intentions his actual administrative skills may have been pretty crappy. From what I've heard and read I increasingly feel that for all his brain power he's not actually of the right calibre either to hold a high office of state or to head a major multinational organisation.
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