On April 1st 2005, the World Bank executive board unanimously confirmed Paul D. Wolfowitz as its next president. This action will essentially cede control of the largest anti-poverty organization in the world to the Bush administration. The cession has thus raised concerns from other nations, particularly within the European Union, that fear the direction that the World Bank may now be headed. Yet Wolfowitz and the Bush administration insist that under this new leadership, the Bank will not act as a foil for partisan policy. But truly, what can the world expect to see under this new leadership? Are the world’s worries warranted?

The World Bank, composed of 184 member nations, is a United Nations special agency with an anti-poverty mission. Each year it offers billions in monetary assistance to developing nations in order to aid in the improvement of education, environmental standards, and building infrastructure with the long-term goal of reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth.

The United States, as the largest shareholder of the Bank, is traditionally given the right to appoint its president who can serve a maximum of two 5-year terms. Wolfowitz will succeed current president James Wolfensohn, who has headed the organization for the last 10 years and is more successful than ever before. This transition of leadership will take place on June 1st 2005, the start of the new fiscal year.

As the current Deputy Secretary of Defense, critics have leveled their guns at Wolfowitz for his actions as a key policymaker and advocate of the United States’ war efforts in Iraq. Last Thursday, some critics even went as far as staging a protest of his appointment in front of the Bank’s headquarters in Washington D.C.. The hard-line foreign policy that Wolfowitz primarily employs alarmed many European leaders, who believe that Wolfowitz will use his new position and authority to aid United States allies and punish United States enemies. Essentially, this would change the policy of the World Bank to reflect the philosophy of the Bush administration, instead of one that aims towards international consensus. Not unreasonably, Wolfowitz’ appointment has been met with worldwide skepticism.

In an interview with The Washington Post, however, Wolfowitz claimed that he agreed with many of the World Bank’s current core policies, and would continue to champion them with the same goals in mind. “I think the decentralization thrust is very laudable, [as is the] emphasis on the need to combat corruption and to develop good governance as an essential part of economic development,” said Wolfowitz. Furthermore, Wolfowitz attempted to reassure critics that the World Bank would not become an arsenal for pushing democratic philosophy, but that “when the Bank performs its mission, which is reducing poverty and promoting economic development, it makes it more possible for people around the world to achieve their own goals of freedom and democracy.”

To allay international fears, Wolfowitz visited Europe and met with leaders of several European Union member nations last week. During this meeting, Wolfowitz managed to convince all involved that he would indeed act in the best interest of the international community. He has met with several countries' representatives to the World Bank and met with key leaders in Brussels and Germany, eventually managing to win support from European Union governments. Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner "was satisfied with everything he heard from Mr. Wolfowitz concerning free trade and also on poverty reduction and development policy," a spokeswoman at the conference told the press, while the German government claims that Wolfowitz would most certainly be supported by the EU. This key political move came in light of the fact that hostility between the United States and Europe regarding the war in Iraq still exists, and that support from Europe is absolutely necessary for the United States to successfully continue its foreign policy.

Wolfowitz will spend the next six months preparing for a United Nations summit scheduled to take place in September. This conference, the first major test of this new office, will measure the effectiveness of Bank policies that attempt to reduce global poverty and foster economic growth. Ostensibly, the primary goals of Wolfowitz’s new agenda are easing the debts of the bank’s poorest borrowers and improving infrastructure in developing nations to affect increased efficiency. Overall, Wolfowitz, in accordance with international concerns, will attempt to particularly focus on the Bank’s work in Africa.

Wolfowitz’s appointment coincides with Bush’s controversial nomination of John Bolton as United States ambassador to the United Nations. Critics feared that these two men in influential positions could create United States policy hegemony in supposed international organizations. Wolfowitz, however, made it clear that as president of the World Bank, “[He would] be working as an international civil servant responsible to the entire membership of a global organization,” not as an advocate of United States political philosophy. Bolton, on the other hand, is being sent to the UN as a representative of the United Nations, with the intent that he will advocate United States views. Therefore, the world may in fact be able to look forward to Wolfowitz playing the role of international employee, with the intent to bring all nations together in the creation of a cohesive international policy towards poverty and economic development.