Leading thinktank joins in Now the head of the leading US think tank on development issue has added its voice to the calls for Wolfowitz to step down. Nancy Birdsall (bio), who was a senior researcher in the World Bank and now heads the Center for Global Development wrote on her blog "In 2005 as Paul Wolfowitz began his presidency of the World Bank, I and others set out an agenda for him --- to rescue the World Bank from slow decline into irrelevane and obscurity ... One of those five tasks was reform of the governance of the World Bank itself -- to be more representative and thus more legitimate".

She continues: "By resigning now, Mr. Wolfowitz can rescue for himself a lasting legacy. He can do so by linking his own resignation to a clarion call for a transparent and openly competitive process in the selection of his successor, in which it is merit not politics and power that matter".

This story is also picked up by the FT's Krishna Guha, who concludes: "The comments from Ms Birdsall will not be ignored by Mr Wolfowitz, who respects Ms Birdsall and has regular contact with her. They demonstrate how hard it will be at a personal level for Mr Wolfowitz to continue in his role, in which he would have to deal with many people who have now publically called for his resignation".

Alex Wilks ~ April 14, 2007

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