May 31st 2007 | Alex Wilks | More on Zoellick | 1 Comment
Clearly George W. Bush has been clever with his pick of Zoellick. Lots of praise has come in from governments, senior figures in Congress and from analysts. (In the words of BusinessWeek: “It was a rare experience for George W. Bush: A major Presidential decision was greeted with bipartisan praise and international congratulations”). Although many governments say they would prefer multiple candidates to come before the board for scrutiny, it is now very unlikely that anyone will dare put up someone against Zoellick. They have until 15 June, should they wish to do so. more…
May 30th 2007 | Sameer Dossani | More on Zoellick | 3 Comments
One common theme among journalists I spoke with today is their frustration at getting anyone from within the Bank to say anything on Zoellick. I know people would and should be cautious, but if I had anything to do with the WB Staff Association, surely this would be a time to flex muscles, no? more…
Courtesy of Daily Kos, a political cartoon showing the respect one gets when you get a top job on the basis of political appointment. more…
May 30th 2007 | Alex Wilks | More on Zoellick | 3 Comments
I’ve been asking colleagues in NGOs to let me know if their organisations produce statements on the Zoellick nomination. Several have, including Oxfam, Action Aid, Greenpeace, Plateforme Dette et Developement, International Rivers Network. They all raise varying degrees of complaint about the Zoellick nomination.
more…
May 30th 2007 | Alex Wilks | More on Zoellick | 2 Comments
In his official announcement of the nomination just now George Bush set out various reasons for his choice of World Bank president. They include that Robert Zoellick is:
“a committed internationalist.”
“He has earned the trust and support of leaders from every region of the world”.
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May 30th 2007 | Alex Wilks | More on Zoellick | 1 Comment
Talking Points Memo has excerpts from The Nelson Report, a daily update for subscribers who want to know what’s going on in Washington. It warns “certain personality traits will carry over, and create problems with his Bank colleagues different than the Wolfowitz debacle, but no less damaging, should they occur”. These traits already led to Zoellick being ousted as president of another institution: the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Meanwhile Steve Clemons supports Zoellick and gives him advice. more…
May 30th 2007 | The Beaver | More on Zoellick | Comments Off
Title of an article written by Kenneth Rogoff on the nomination of Zoellick at the helm of the World Bank. In the section of ” Comments is free” published by the Guardian, Rogoff spelled out the strengths of the “good Bob” from the weaknesses of “maybe Bob”. more…
May 30th 2007 | Alex Wilks | More on Zoellick | 7 Comments
Robert Zoellick’s biography reveals some further interesting elements. He sat on Enron’s advisory board. This means that he should have interesting insights into corporate governance matters - one thing which the Bank’s board has pledged to fix up following the recent dramas. He must also have gained insights through his membership of the Trilateral Commission, a secretive top peoples’ club (though the official website no longer has him listed). more…
May 30th 2007 | Alex Wilks | More on Zoellick | 1 Comment
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. more…
May 30th 2007 | Soren Ambrose | More on Zoellick | 1 Comment
Should Robert Zoellick indeed become president of the World Bank, he will be reunited with his old friend Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, in the elite club at the top of the global economic system. When Zoellick was U.S. Trade Representative, Lamy was his counterpart for the European Union. more…
