Wolfowitz to World Bank

[ggw]

Wolfowitz's career experience is not limited to his time at DoD.  Also, McNamara was at Defense before leading the Bank for 13 years, so this isn't unprecedented.
 
 

Originally posted by Barcelona:
  I'm not going to get into any argument over this, but basically because the World Bank is a development agency, not a war agency. Not that the WB is a perfect institution, but to have this guy directing it might end up being a disaster. Just my opinion. Feel free to disagree and point out to articles talking about the mistakes and corruption in these types of institutions, it's just my opinion. And I believe Bush today talked about him being compassionate? here we go again. The least compassionate people on earth talking about compassion.

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by Barcelona:
 And I believe Bush today talked about him being compassionate? here we go again. The least compassionate people on earth talking about compassion.

he is concerned about oil prices though!
 
 "I'm concerned about what it means to the average American family when they see the price of gasoline going up,"
 
 
  (it means they're going to be broke, asshole)

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

amazing... virtually everything Wolfowitz predicted in the planning stages about the Iraq war turned out to be wrong, from it being a "cakewalk," to only needing 30,000 troops to keep the peace after the invasion, to the Iraqis welcoming us with flowers.  
 
 If this were private industry, he'd have been fired, but since it's an ideology-blinded administration, he gets promoted.

[lionforce5]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  Wolfowitz's career experience is not limited to his time at DoD.  Also, McNamara was at Defense before leading the Bank for 13 years, so this isn't unprecedented.
 
   

Originally posted by Barcelona:
  I'm not going to get into any argument over this, but basically because the World Bank is a development agency, not a war agency. Not that the WB is a perfect institution, but to have this guy directing it might end up being a disaster. Just my opinion. Feel free to disagree and point out to articles talking about the mistakes and corruption in these types of institutions, it's just my opinion. And I believe Bush today talked about him being compassionate? here we go again. The least compassionate people on earth talking about compassion.

[/b]

I don't know enough about the World Bank to make a reasonable/well thought out post.  I guess it really depends on whether or not you believe Wolfowitz will be someone who has the world's best interests at heart, rather than simply another crony tool in a place that allows Bush to leverage power in the direction he wants to.
 
 At least it's not the WTO.

[eros]

Originally posted by O'Mankie:
  I thought Bono was getting that job?

He can pretty much forget about any of that forgiving-of-third-world-debt nonsense now.

[ggw]

Why?  
 
 Wolfowitz was one of the biggest proponents of forgiving all Iraqi debts, on the basis that these were "odious debts" incurred not by the people, but by the leaders who used the funds for weapons and palaces, not development.
 
 

Originally posted by eros:
 He can pretty much forget about any of that forgiving-of-third-world-debt nonsense now.

[Fico]

"Under Wolfowitz, the Bush administration may now try to narrow the focus of the World Bank, returning the international lending institution to its roots of primarily financing large
 infrastructure projects and limiting the practice of handing out zero-interest loans, analysts such as Alan Meltzer, who led a
 2000 congressional inquiry into the World Bank, said."
 
 Build damns=good, HIPC Relief Initiative=Bad.
 
 ps: HIPC=Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
 
 So did Alberto Gonzales get the Human Rights Watch post or what?

[ggw]

I think that Wolfowitz will lean toward his NeoCon beliefs and will probably try to create democratic, economically liberal governments in place of failed states or oppressive regimes deemed to be threatening to the US or its interests.
 
 I think it's better to try to do that through the allocation of development funds than through the military.
 
 

Originally posted by j_lee:
 I don't know enough about the World Bank to make a reasonable/well thought out post.  I guess it really depends on whether or not you believe Wolfowitz will be someone who has the world's best interests at heart, rather than simply another crony tool in a place that allows Bush to leverage power in the direction he wants to.
 
 At least it's not the WTO.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Of course Wolfowitz is a proponent of forgiving Iraqi debt! We invaded the country and now essentially own it (despite the puppet government), that debt is in a sense *our* debt.
 
 
 

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  Why?  
 
 Wolfowitz was one of the biggest proponents of forgiving all Iraqi debts, on the basis that these were "odious debts" incurred not by the people, but by the leaders who used the funds for weapons and palaces, not development.
 
   

Originally posted by eros:
 He can pretty much forget about any of that forgiving-of-third-world-debt nonsense now.

[/b]

[Fico]

Did anyone watch the Simpsons on Sunday?? Condoleeza would've learned a thing or two..

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  I think it's better to try to do that through the allocation of development funds than through the military.
 
 

first wise thing I've ever seen you say!

[vansmack]

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  I think it's better to try to do that through the allocation of development funds than through the military.
 

Let's see how he accomplishes this first before we start singing his praises for the concept.  I see his development dollars pouring in after military action at this point.

[edbert]

At the top, the WB functions a lot like the Pentagon.  It's all about getting someone to buy something big they don't need for the profit of certain well-connected US companies. The only difference is that the Pentagon gets Congress to buy things and the WB gets developing nations to buy things. How about a brand new hospital from Bechtel, that 99% of your population can't get access to, and after you get into debt for it you won't have any money for medications

[ggw]

Agreed.  
 
 Wolfowitz is not one of my favorite people, but most of this thread was simply complaints about the nomination without anyone actually explaining why this was a bad choice (beyond his being part of the Bush Administration, which, in some circles, is ample condemnation).
 
 I think that the NeoCons have relied largely on military action because they have, thus far, been relegated to Defense Department posts and had no other avenue for pursuing their agenda.  Putting Wolfowitz in the Bank may change that (or it may not).  We'll both have to wait and see.
 
 

Originally posted by vansmack:
 Let's see how he accomplishes this first before we start singing his praises for the concept.  I see his development dollars pouring in after military action at this point.

[Fico]

Originally posted by vansmack:
   

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  I think it's better to try to do that through the allocation of development funds than through the military.
 

Let's see how he accomplishes this first before we start singing his praises for the concept.  I see his development dollars pouring in after military action at this point. [/b]

Sure, lets pour development dollars into the reconstruction of Iraq...yet who benefits of those huge contracts??? Halliburton for one...