I suspect that the administration was responding less to Sachs and his backers than to the pressure being exerted by the developing nations for a non-American head of the World Bank. In that context, the choice was very likely driven less by Jim Yong Kim not being a former banker or policy maker than that he is a Korean-American who, it is hoped, will be more acceptable to the BRIC's. It will be interesting to see whether the candidacy of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala continues to gather steam in the aftermath of Obama's political maneuver.
On 2012-03-23, at 11:14 AM, Robert Naiman wrote: > Far from being an anti-climax, I think it's a historic victory for > which Sachs and the people who backed him can claim some credit. Sachs > has just putting out a statement saying that he supports Kim 100%. > > Note this from the NYT article, which they also used as their caption: > > "Unlike recent World Bank presidents, Dr. Kim is not a former banker > or policy maker in the United States government." > > That's exactly what Sachs was calling for. > > On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 9:27 AM, Jim Devine <[email protected]> wrote: >> an anti-climax after all that Summers/Sachs tumult? >> >> On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 7:00 AM, Robert Naiman >> <[email protected]> wrote: >>> Health groups appear to be very, very jazzed. >>> >>> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/business/global/dartmouth-president-is-obamas-pick-for-world-bank.html >>> >>> March 23, 2012 >>> Dartmouth President Is Obama’s Pick for World Bank >>> By JOHN H. CUSHMAN Jr. >>> WASHINGTON — President Obama is nominating Jim Yong Kim, a physician >>> who has been president of Dartmouth College for three years, to head >>> the World Bank, the White House said Friday. >>> >>> The nomination of Dr. Kim, who helped found Partners in Health and >>> directed the World Health Organization’s department of H.I.V./AIDS, >>> would recognize the importance of health issues in global development, >>> elevating them to parity with finance. His work has emphasized >>> bringing effective medicine to the poor. >>> >>> The choice was a surprise. Leading candidates had included Laura >>> D’Andrea Tyson, an economist and former head of the President’s >>> Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton administration. Unlike >>> recent World Bank presidents, Dr. Kim is not a former banker or policy >>> maker in the United States government. >>> >>> President Obama was to make the announcement at the White House Friday >>> morning before leaving for a summit meeting in South Korea tonight. >>> >>> Dr. Kim will not be the only candidate for the World Bank job. On >>> Friday morning, Angola, South Africa and Nigeria put forward the name >>> of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Nigerian finance minister and former World >>> Bank official. >>> >>> Dr. Kim, who was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2003, >>> was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1959 and moved with his family to >>> the United States at the age of 5. He graduated from Brown University >>> in 1982, earned an M.D. from Harvard University in 1991 and a Ph.D. in >>> anthropology there in 1993. >>> >>> He was the first Asian-American to head an Ivy League institution. >>> >>> The nomination was first reported by The Associated Press and >>> confirmed by White House officials. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> 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 >> >> >> >> -- >> Jim Devine / "In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to >> be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But >> in poetry, it's the exact opposite." -- Paul Dirac >> _______________________________________________ >> pen-l mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > > > -- > 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 _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
