Although what it portrays about the state of the world is depressing, this article could actually be helpful for the A team, in bringing people who read the New York Times up to speed with what people who read the Financial Times knew several weeks ago about what the state of the world is.
- US officials have told G20 officials the US intends to "retain control of the bank," as the New York Times helpfully puts it (clarifying that for U.S. officials the dispute is not really about which passport(s) the president of the World Bank may be carrying, or what their native language was.) - That discouraged the BRICS from coming together to offer an alternative. This was the state of the world as revealed by the Financial Times several weeks ago. Thus, there is no reform initiative on the field besides the Sachs campaign. However, some people in Washington still hadn't got the memo yet, as of yesterday. They were still talking about other things. So maybe this NYT article will help us bring them up to speed. Note that the NYT misleads on one important count: it refers to Nancy B's initiative in the present tense. But it cites something that she wrote on Feb. 28, when the world looked somewhat different. That was the weekend that two Reuters articles appeared from the outskirts of the G20 summit suggesting that the BRICS might promote a developing country candidate. Since then there has been silence on that score. The only thing I have seen since then is the allAfrica.com article suggesting that the BRICS could back Sachs. > Despite Calls for Alternatives, Another American Is Expected to Lead World > Bank > > By ANNIE LOWREY > > Published: March 13, 2012 > http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/business/global/despite-calls-for-alternatives-another-american-is-expected-to-lead-world-bank.html?_r=1 > > WASHINGTON — Once again, the next head of the World Bank will be an > American. > > The White House has not yet announced its nominee to lead the 67-year-old > development institution, whose president, Robert B. Zoellick, will step down > when his term is over at the end of June. But administration officials said > this week that they would pick an American by the March 23 deadline for > nominees. > > That stance has discouraged increasingly powerful emerging-market countries, > like Brazil and China, from proposing a strong alternative, observers said. > > Since Europe will almost certainly support whomever Washington picks — as > the United States backed the candidacy of the former French finance minister > Christine Lagarde to head the International Monetary Fund last year — the > result is that the American is a lock, they said. > > “The United States continues to be very, very powerful despite what you read > in the newspapers,” said Uri Dadush, the director of the international > economics program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Unless > they decide they are ready for a change, it is going to be very difficult to > make a transition.” > > In recent years, cash-rich developing nations have won more say on the > international scene — in no small part because of the Obama administration’s > encouragement. > > Major global economic negotiations happen at the Group of 20 meetings, > rather than the Group of 8 meetings, for instance. And it is developing > countries that are expected to provide the bulk of additional financing to > the International Monetary Fund to help stamp out the European debt crisis. > > Moreover, the Group of 20 countries and the World Bank itself have called in > recent years for a fairer, more transparent selection process for the top > posts at the World Bank and its sister institution, the I.M.F. For the past > seven decades, an informal agreement has assured that a European leads the > International Monetary Fund and an American the World Bank. > > But officials in the Group of 20, speaking on the condition of anonymity to > avoid disturbing diplomatic relations, said that American officials informed > them recently of their intention to retain control of the bank. > > That has discouraged major emerging-markets countries — like China, Brazil, > India, Russia and South Africa — from coming together to offer an > alternative. > > A few expressed outright annoyance at the American position. But none > indicated a willingness to fight Washington this go-around. > > One American — Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the Earth Institute at > Columbia and a development expert — has put himself forward for the position > and won the endorsement of countries including Kenya and Malaysia. But he is > not under consideration by the White House, according to people familiar > with the World Bank process who asked not to be identified because the > decision is pending. > > “Eleven out of 11 World Bank presidents have been either politicians or > bankers,” Mr. Sachs said in an interview. “But it’s not a bank. It’s not a > political institution. It’s a development institution. Misunderstanding > that, we’ve unfortunately gotten a lot of drift, a lack of focus and > strategic insight into what to do. That’s why I put my name forward.” > > The search for American candidates yielded a long list of experts in > economics, international affairs and management that has been whittled down > by Timothy F. Geithner, the Treasury secretary; Thomas E. Donilon, the > national security adviser; and Jacob J. Lew, the White House chief of staff. > The decision is now pending with President Obama, according to the sources. > > There has been considerable speculation that the White House’s nominee will > have experience working abroad or have foreign roots to help ensure global > support — even if some countries, as expected, raise questions about > continued American control of the institution. > > Two of the most-rumored candidates, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the secretary of > state, and Mr. Geithner himself, have been firmly ruled out, the sources > said. > > Possible contenders include Susan E. Rice, the United States ambassador to > the United Nations and a former State Department official with experience > working with African countries; Indra K. Nooyi, the India-born chief > executive of PepsiCo who is an American citizen; and Lawrence H. Summers, > the former Treasury secretary and Obama economic adviser, the sources said. > > Research groups and development groups are still pushing for the White House > to consider non-American candidates and for the selection process to be > merit-based, transparent and fair. > > The Center for Global Development, a Washington-based research institution, > for instance, has recommended Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian finance > minister, and Nandan Nilekani, a founder of the large Indian technology firm > Infosys. > > “The best person for the job might amazingly be a non-American and > non-European,” said Mr. Dadush of the Carnegie Endowment, “difficult as it > is for some people to believe that.” > > The World Bank hopes to pick its new president by the joint World Bank and > I.M.F. meetings in late April. > > A version of this article appeared in print on March 14, 2012, on page B3 of > the New York edition with the headline: Despite Calls for Alternatives, > Another American Is Expected to Lead World Bank. > -- Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org [email protected] _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
