Wolfowitz? For the Bank? Seriously??

[A_Wanderer]

It seems that Wolfowitz has absolutely zero credibility, confidence or respect from most around here ~ which is a good thing because he is now unable to disappoint.

 

[deep]

It seems that Wolfowitz has absolutely zero credibility, confidence or respect from most

This nominee is even worst

if that is possible

Dozens Of Diplomats Oppose Bush's U.N. Nominee

John Bolton Is 'Wrong Man," Former Diplomats Say


WASHINGTON -- Many former American diplomats are urging the Senate to reject John Bolton's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.


In a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, 59 former diplomats say Bolton "is the wrong man for this position."

The ex-diplomats, who have served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, are critical of Bolton's stand on issues as the State Department's senior arms control official. They say he had an "exceptional record" of opposing U.S. efforts to improve national security through arms control.

But they also chide Bolton for what they say is his "insistence that the U.N. is valuable only when it directly serves the United States."

That view, they say, wouldn't help him negotiate with other diplomats at the U.N.

 

[A_Wanderer]

An endorsement of the man

Paul D. Wolfowitz: A friend of Indonesia

Jusuf Wanandi, Jakarta

I met Paul Wolfowitz for the first time when he was head of Policy Planning at the State Department, and then again as Assistant Secretary for East Asia and the Pacific in the early 80's. We became close friends when he was ambassador in Jakarta from 1986 to 1989. He remains a friend of Indonesia, although he has not had the opportunity to visit Indonesia many times since he left Indonesia and joined the government. He was one of the best U.S. ambassadors in Indonesia since I have been following U.S. affairs when Marshall Green was ambassador in 1965.

Not only was he an official representative of the U.S. President, dealing with the Indonesian government and bureaucracy, but he was also actively engaged with Indonesian society. Everything he did was full of enthusiasm. He has shown his empathy for the Indonesian people and its diversity in his dealing with many groups in society. He showed his empathy to the Indonesian people when, at his farewell address, he mentioned the need for flexibility and openness in the Indonesian political system under president Soeharto.

This has created strong reactions among the elite and the Indonesian government particularly. He was one of the few Western ambassadors who kept a close relationship with Muslim groups and was the first Western ambassador ever to have been invited to give a lecture at Muhammadiyah University in Jakarta. He was delighted to learn about their progressive ideas and interpretation of Islamic teachings.

He was especially close to Abdurrahman Wahid, former Nahdlatul Ulama chairman, and Nurcholish Madjid, president of Paramadina University, two stalwarts for Islamic reforms and modernization. He always made the time to meet them in Washington D.C. during his busy schedule as deputy secretary of Department of Defense.

After he left and joined the Bush Sr. Administration in 1989, he still kept contact with Indonesia and Indonesians everywhere. When he was dean of SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies) at Johns Hopkins University during the Clinton Administration he was a regular visitor to Indonesia, especially in the transition period when Soeharto stepped down in 1988.

He also headed USINDO (US-Indonesia Society) as chair of the board until he became deputy secretary of defense. He received many guests from Indonesia, although he was busy as Deputy Secretary, especially after Sept. 11, 2001. He publicly exposed his admiration for both Turkish and Indonesian Islam, which have been generally compatible with modernization and democracy. He stated this, among other things, at an important speech he gave at the Brookings Institute in 2002. He helped former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, when she was struggling to get her act together after Sept. 11, and asked for patience from his colleagues in the U.S. Administration.

He was definitely behind the quick response from the U.S. forces to the tsunami disaster in Aceh. When he visited Jakarta after his trip to Aceh in February, a lot of his old friends met him and had an open exchange with him. They were more bewildered by Paul's ideas on Iraq and the Middle East than negatively critical of him. He answered them quite openly and admitted some of the mistakes made at the beginning of the post-war nation building in Iraq because of misinformation about the expected problems that followed a war that was very short.

The U.S. was more prepared for refugees and hunger than on the security problems they would face. It could be argued that many Indonesian Muslims are against his policies, especially towards Iraq. But they would like to hear from him themselves. He did plan to come to Jakarta in early December 2003 for a conference, but had to cancel it because his boss Secretary Rumsfeld went to Afghanistan and Iraq. He would have met a lot of Muslim leaders organized by Muhammadiyah to hear from him about U.S. policies to have a debate with them.

Will he be good for Indonesia as the World Bank president? For sure, he is a person that has great empathy towards a developing Muslim country that is trying hard to make democracy work and would like to modernize the country by efforts to alleviate poverty, educate the people and keep them healthy.

We might argue about his methods to achieve democracy in the Middle East, especially Iraq, but he has the right idea that change has to happen in that region towards modernization, democracy and economic development. With the elections in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, a start has been made, but the outcome is still a question mark. So many things still have to fall in place, and they need luck in the future to secure sustained freedom and democracy, peace and modernization. This has already started and let us hope that real progress will happen in those places.

Perhaps Paul's shortcoming was that he was not listening enough to a wide range of expertise that could make his approaches to achieve his goals more acceptable. He can do that now as head of the most important international finance institution to lay down the foundation for modernization, development and progress in the developing world.

The author is Co-founder, Member, Board of Trustees and Senior Fellow of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20050329.B09&irec=8

 

[Scarletwine]

Right because he reopened the ability of the gov't to purchase arms fron the US again. They had been boycotted for genocidal massacre crimes. He flew to INdonesia right after the tsunami, not to see the damage though he did, but to negotiate and convince congress to remove the boycott.

 

[Se7en]

Mr Wolfowitz is expected to be officially elected on Thursday, following a vote among the 24-member executive board of the World Bank.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/21ff6684-a122-11d9-95e5-00000e2511c8.html

 

[A_Wanderer]

Right because he reopened the ability of the gov't to purchase arms fron the US again. They had been boycotted for genocidal massacre crimes. He flew to INdonesia right after the tsunami, not to see the damage though he did, but to negotiate and convince congress to remove the boycott.

Because the TNI is a valuable ally now post-Bali bombing and it is crucial that the US and Australia get involved. They are corrupt and brutal but it is important that we at least try to help reform them. Many lives hang in the balance.

 

[Se7en]

Because the TNI is a valuable ally now post-Bali bombing and it is crucial that the US and Australia get involved. They are corrupt and brutal but it is important that we at least try to help reform them. Many lives hang in the balance.

your ideological fervor and dramatic declarations are quite entertaining.

 

[A_Wanderer]

your ideological fervor and dramatic declarations are quite entertaining.

It is not a dramatic declaration, I am simply saying that both Indonesia and Australia face a common threat and if we want to adress it then we should move forward. The Indonesian military has many problems with it but I think that these can be adressed through cooperation. Things like human rights training can be invaluable and it would be bad if we did not provide it to them.

 

[Se7en]

see, now that is much more eloquent and less zombie-ish.

 

[A_Wanderer]

First statement was not zombie-ish, it was saying the same thing and the statement about lives hanging in the balance is also true ~ terrorism in SE Asia is a significant threat and regional actors must cooperate to deal with it.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I hope it's more than words..

By HARRY DUNPHY, Associated Press Writer

In his first day on the job, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said Wednesday he hoped the bank could help transform Africa from a continent of despair to one of hope.

He said that while other parts of the world — Asia, the former Soviet Union and Latin America — make economic and political progress, "we cannot have a large part of the world with 600 million people left behind and sinking."

Starting a five-year term at the helm of the 184-nation lending institution, Wolfowitz said he hoped when he left office "We can say that this was a time when Africa went from being a continent of despair and poverty to a continent of hope."

Wolfowitz chose as one of his first audiences an Africa advocacy group that includes non-governmental organizations, opinion leaders and business groups working to end poverty in Africa and expand trade and private investment. Several African ambassadors were among those listening.

Some development experts and non-governmental organizations had expressed concern at Wolfowitz's appointment because the former assistant defense secretary was a prime architect of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

He said it cannot be a good thing for those privileged to live in wealthy countries "to have a large part of the world left behind in the kind of misery and suffering that the people of Africa experience."

To help Africa develop, Wolfowitz said, requires a plan that combines development assistance, foreign private investment, the development of the private sector and progress in trade talks so Africans can sell what they produce on world markets.

"New energy, new commitment and new realism is required and I, as president of the World Bank, am ready to help that great institution make a contribution and a keen effort" to eradicate poverty, promote growth and eliminate corruption.

The World Bank's stated mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in developing countries. It lends about $20 billion (euro16.22 billion) a year for various projects.

The installation of Wolfowitz enables the Bush administration to put its imprint on the bank, which employs about 10,000 people worldwide. He replaced James Wolfensohn, whose 10 years at the helm of the bank ended Tuesday.

Some international aid and other groups worry that Wolfowitz will use the development bank to spread American values — political, economic or other. They also fear he will use the institution to reward America's friends and punish its enemies.

Critics, including the 50 Years is Enough Network and The Mobilization for Global Justice, organized a protest outside the World Bank on Wednesday as Wolfowitz took over.

Wolfowitz, 61, has said he believes deeply in the World Bank's mission and would not pursue any political agenda. He said he would seek to overcome critics' concerns "by being objective and credible."

When it comes to development, Wolfowitz said it is important for the bank to continually assess what works and what doesn't. "It is not a matter of one size fits all. Each country, each part of the world has unique characteristics," he told reporters Tuesday.

 

[verte76]

Yeah, I really hope this isn't just rhetoric.

 

[melon]

I'm actually willing to give Wolfowitz the benefit of the doubt. He probably can't be any worse than his predecessor.

Melon

 

[Teta040]

Melon, this is Mr Wolfowitz doing his initial round of spin control, to "soften up" and lull the skeptics into thinkig he is a good guy. Calming the opposition. Then, when everybody is thinking well of him, he'll show his true colors. BEHIND THE SCENES> Much like Bush's avalanche of publicity over that $15 billion that he has since cut down to waht, 2? And NONE of it appropriated....

Think aobut it: If he started the job with his true intentions on display, that wouldn't be good would it? And he ESP wants to continue talking the talk, to lull Bono into saying more good things about him. Above all, you don't want to have Bono on your enemy (or should I say, "disappointment") list these days...b/c it would be bad press. I'm sure he saw Bono's very public (and IMO, VERY stupid, sorry, B, just this once) comments aobut Paul Martin. Thankfully, Martin appears to be holding onto his job...by the skin of his teeth though.

Thnk about it, folks. REALLLLY think about it. Do you think George H W Bush pushed so passionatly for Wolfie b/c he was going to be another do gooder like Wolfensohn? He wanted someone he could keep under his thumb.And do what HE wants.

You watch and see. If Wolfie commits some outrageous act, he always has Africa to fall back upon, to save his skin..and the bauety of it is, all he has to do is talk the talk. He is not going to be urged by Bush to hand over a dime. He can hem and haw and make grand statements. Not that evety other European leader has done this too, but Wolfie is far more powerful. he controls more money. Bono is not a head of state and so cannot demand accountability or take any action to pressure anybody. Allhe--and we--can do is talk.

So,etimes I'm wondering just how farBono would be willing to test his "Id have lunch with the devil" statement.
Wouldhe have had lunch and photo op with Pinochet or Milosevich?

 

[melon]

Do you think his predecessor was any better? You already had people booing and protesting Wolfensohn. It's not as if lefties liked him either.

And, frankly, the World Bank has nothing to do with Iraq, and Africa probably does need a good dose of capitalism anyway. Most of those nations are already as corrupt and ineffectual as it gets, so what's the worst that Wolfowitz could do? Maintain their status quo of corruption, poverty, and ineffectuality? We already have that. I really don't know how he can commit any more damage than already has been done.

The only credit I can give Wolfowitz is his more modernist leanings, thanks to his association with the dreaded PNAC. We need someone who is willing to think outside of past precedent, because past precedent with Africa is exactly what we have with Africa.

Maybe I'm giving Wolfowitz too much credit, but guess what? No matter what any of us say or do, he's now the head of the World Bank. Frankly, this is where I pass into apathy and start thinking about other subjects that I can control.

Melon