So it looks like Robert Zoellick is the U.S. pick for the Bank job. There may be nominations from other governments, but now it’s time to rake over the coals and see what Zoellick has done in the past and what he would do if installed at the top of the World Bank.
As a visual break from reading serious insights into Zoellick I recommend you check out this fantastic photo of Robert Zoellick hugging a panda bear in China while on duty as Deputy Secretary of State.
If Zoellick gets the Bank job the photo could get a lot of use to try to prove his environmental credentials. Oh, and they may mention that Zoellick was also a member of the World Wide Fund for Nature advisory board.
For some of Zoellick’s light-hearted banter on the occasion of the photoshoot, and about his relationship with his wife, see this Washington Post reportage from that time.
Zoellick: “You want to know how the panda felt? Very soft.”
Some aides had questioned whether the image was the right one to convey, he acknowledged, but he decided to go ahead because his wife wanted a photo of him with a panda. “At my age, I listen to my wife,” he said.
For more pictures showing Zoellick’s ability to consult pandas on foreign policy issues, see the Adora blog.
For a serious video; a TV interview with Zoellick covering his views on China and several other topics, see this Charlie Rose video.
It is very sad that WB donations include inducement of poverty rather than alleviation – and to NGO’s using guns for their policy enforcement.
Writing to the WB Integrity Unit did not help. Writing to Wolfowitz does (did) not help.
It is only to be hoped that NGO culprits are brought to justice as well as those in the WB assisting them.
Any kick-backs? – Life is too good for those not in poverty!