Growing Number of Calls for Action

Over forty former senior Bank officials signed a letter to the editor of the Financial Times urging Wolfowitz to step aside in the interests of the Bank itself. They declared that the World Bank can no longer carry out its mission with any moral authority so long as Wolfowitz remains its President.

At the same time, the Director General of the Independent Evaluation Group, a unit charged with assessing the effectiveness of World Bank projects, delivered a strongly worded message to the Bank’s Board of Directors. The memo expressed concern about the damage Wolfowitz has done to the Bank and the danger that his continued tenure will do more. The statement called on the Board to find a “proper and quick resolution” to numerous problems and ended with an acknowledgement that it is now time to reassess the entire governance structure of the World Bank and address its deficiencies.

Oh, and Wolfowitz has hired a prominent lawyer.

--Dylan Blaylock