Dear Ambassador Zoellick, Good morning, Mr. President-Elect. Congratulations on the promotion. What a difference a year makes. Not too long ago, you probably felt a bit adrift, manning a desk at a State Department struggling for relevance. It must be difficult to serve as a diplomat in a scrambled bureaucracy that is anything but diplomatic. Your subsequent stint as vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs might have felt comfortable, but I would guess you never bothered to hang any pictures in your office. These days, the bank seems a bit like a farm league for the Beltway majors. Everyone is waiting for the call from the Show. So, welcome (back) to the big time, Ambassador Zoellick. Well, at least sort of. No one would argue that the World Bank is an important force on the global stage, but can you really drive change from the front office? For starters, you certainly will have access to enormous financial resources. Before you roll out of the bed in the morning, you will grant and lend unimaginable sums of money to nations most of your fellow Americans do not even know exist. With 185 countries as your shareholders, let alone the four billion people living… (more)
(Posted by Jonathan Greenblatt in Features at 12:03 PM)