Bush has put forward arch-hawk Paul Wolfowitz as the next head of the World Bank !
The Washington hawks have now secured a couple of key international appointments. Neo-con John Bolton was recently chosen as US ambassador to the United Nations. Bolton has been an outspoken critic of the UN and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the politics and diplomacy of the United Nations.
Wolfowitz has been Rumsfeld’s Deputy at the Pentagon since 2001 and was a key player in the Iraq invasion and occupation. The US military know how to blow things up, but haven’t a clue when it comes to putting things back together. Iraq is a case in point. The World Bank is all about construction, not destruction.
The World Bank’s Mission is to, “fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in the developing world“. The rebuilding of Iraq, managed by the Pentagon, has been a disaster. Why put a key player in this failed process in charge of the World Bank ? What experience does Wolfowitz have of international development and the fight against poverty… none ?
Is Bush trying to wind us up, or is Condy Rice failing to get her way at the top table ?