It is the same old problem. How can President George W. Bush ditch his dear friend and comrade-in-arms Paul Wolfowitz in his hour of crisis. It does not matter that the entire Europe is now ganging up against Bush’s friend.
After all Wolfowitz was a member of the inner coterie that planned the Iraq war and its occupation…and later Bush rewarded his dear friend with a powerful job as the President of the World Bank.
“The United States insisted on Tuesday that Paul Wolfowitz’s ability to lead the World Bank was effective and undamaged, while his European critics said the bank’s credibility was at risk as long as he was still at the helm, reports the Reuters.
“The outcome of the transatlantic battle over Wolfowitz’s leadership, which has now raged for weeks over a pay and promotion deal for his companion, remained unclear, with the Bush administration maintaining he could be effective.
” ‘We believe that the World Bank can continue to be an effective development institution with Paul Wolfowitz as president,’ White House spokesman Tony Fratto said.
“Questions over the leadership of the former U.S deputy defense secretary grew more heated after leaked findings of a bank panel said he broke rules when he personally directed a promotion for his companion, World Bank Middle East expert Shaha Riza, and her transfer to the State Department in 2005.”
The New York Times says: “Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. on Tuesday endorsed the request by Paul D. Wolfowitz, the World Bank president, for more time to defend himself against charges of misconduct, seeking a delay that could also give the Bush administration time to negotiate his voluntary resignation.”
The Business Week writes: “The ugly showdown at the World Bank has all the signs of a no-win situation. And if the standoff between embattled bank President Paul Wolfowitz and its board of directors isn’t resolved soon, analysts say that continuing American leadership of the 62-year-old institution could be in jeopardy. The bank itself could face lasting damage.”
(Paul Wolfowitz and his girl friend Shaha Ali Riza)
To read my earlier post please click here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.