This week's Q&A is with Enrique Carrasco, University of Iowa professor of law and director of the UI Center for International Finance and Development.
Q: Last week, President Bush appointed U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to replace World Bank President James Wolfensohn, who retires in May. How do you think Wolfowitz will do at the job?
A: Nominating Wolfowitz is disastrous. Wolfowitz is a warmonger. The World Bank is a development institution, and development is about peacefully creating conditions in which the human being can flourish within his or her community and nation. There's no doubt that Wolfowitz is an expert in international relations -- having been dean and professor of the School of Advanced International Studies as well as ambassador to Indonesia and assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs -- and he obviously has government experience. But his nomination is a slap in the face to member countries of the World Bank, given his role in orchestrating the war against Iraq -- a war that is highly unpopular in the eyes of most people in the world.
With all that's going on in Dubya's administration, why am I still amazed at this appointment? Maybe because Wolfowitz is such an illogical choice for the post. I suspect that maybe when Bush was considering his list of nominees, he thought it would save money on signage and stationary if they only had to change "Wolfensohn" to "Wolfowitz". Makes as much sense as any other reason. The man is clearly not the man for the job.
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