It's the end of the world as we know it

Do you remember that great song by REM. It's been awhile since I heard it but I still enjoy it. It came to mind upon reading of Wolfovitz being nominated by the fascist cowboy as World Bank president. I mean the World Bank was actually starting to get a reasonably not SO horrid reputation after Stieglitz had been lashing out and saying some fun things to the IMF. A good book written by Ha-Joon Chang called Kicking away the Ladder discusses how colonizing countries promote economic policies that they themselves did not use in order to reach the economic level they are at. Policies that the IMF and the world bank hold their nose at such as protectionism and keeping utilities public is how the US among other "western" countries got to the level they are at now.

Anyway, It is appalling to think that this hawk is going to lead the "international" organization of the World Bank. There was a very interesting comment sent to me this morning by an NGO called 50 years is not enough:

"The Bright Side"

"If Wolfowitz does become President of the World Bank, it could
have some positive effects. Soren Ambrose, Senior Policy Analyst with
the 50 Years Is Enough Network noted, "If confirm, we would no longer
have to work so hard to convince people that the World Bank is an
instrument of U.S. foreign and economic policy. Wolfowitz has no
experience in development, just a fierce ideological dedication to
hard-core neo-liberal economics and U.S. domination. With Wolfowitz in
place, the Bank's masterful spinners of noble rhetoric will be unable
to
persuade anyone that the institution is really working for the benefit
of the poor. We'll finally be able to use the word 'imperialism' about
Bank policy without raising eyebrows."

"In other words," said Ambrose, "between exposing the true
dangers of the lack of democracy at the World Bank and putting the most
visible symbol of U.S. imperialism in the most prominent position in
international development, President Bush will accomplish more in
de-legitimizing the World Bank than any other single action ever
cold."

- Soren Ambrose, Senior Policy Analyst with the 50 Years Is Enough Network