Iceberg Wolfowitz
According to a reliable banking source, the Wolfowitz girlfriend problem is only the tip of the iceberg at the World Bank. It’s what’s below the surface that counts.
The word is that Wolfowitz brought a phalanx of buddies with him when he took over as President of the Bank. He and his hounds threw their weight around, bullied everyone and soon complaints began to fly. This put up the backs of other members of the board. When they’d had enough, they decided Wolfowitz had to go.
The main reason for board opposition was that Wolfowitz turned the World Bank into an instrument of U.S. foreign policy. That’s not how the World Bank works. It became a case of nations who supported the Bush Administration got what the asked for; those opposed to the U.S. White House did not. It was as simple as that.
The United States has a 16 per cent interest in the World Bank. If the board votes Wolfowitz out of office there’s nothing President Bush can do nothing about it. His man will have to go. Further word is that Wolfowitz now has a lawyer whose main aim is to negotiate what severance package Wolfowitz will get.
Canada has a seat on the Board of the Bank. As well as Canada, the Canadian member also represents the Republic of Ireland, Jamaica and Caribbean nations including the Bahamas and Barbados. For this reason, Canada must consult Ireland and the other nations it represents before voting. A nice dilemma, so it’s anyone’s guess which way Canada’s vote will go.
The one job remaining before Wolfowitz gets the boot is to make the severance fee worth it. One may depend that the wily Wolfowitz will get a sizeable packet whichever way it goes. One may also bet his girlfriend will be glad.
A. W. Cockerill