[A-List] Two Dfferent Wolfs

["Henry C.K. Liu" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The World Bank, under the direction of James Wolfensohn, is posing a
problem for neocon Wolfowitz.  The World Bank, though dominated by the
US which has 16.2% of voting shares, has an institutional loyalty to
multilateralism.  As US unilateralism advocated by US neocons giving the
back of hand to the very foundation of the UN, which is the
institutional manefestation of multilateralism, there is predictable
conflict between the two Wolfs. Personally, the World Bank Wolf is a
neo-liberal, while the Defense Department Wolf is a neocon.

Yet WB's opposition can only be proceedural.  There is a leftover
standing UN sanction on Iraq from the first Gulf War of 1991 which
forbids WB from making loans to Iraq or even spending money there,
according to WB lawyers.  Approval from the WB Board would be needed to
make an exemption.  Such apporval is not likely to come from Board
members, Germany, France, Russia and China, which having voting shares
according to the size of their economies, and will collectively out vote
the US.

The rule of law does present problems for unilateralism.

Henry C.K. Liu