The drama playing out at the World Bank seems like a personal morality tale, but there's more to it than meets the eye. World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz is under fire from employees and member nations of the Bank. The lead accusation on the news wires involves allegations that Wolfowitz acted unethically in arranging a pay increase and outplacement for a female professional at the Bank who is described as his "companion." The World Bank is what is known internationally as a multilateral institution; it receives contributions from multiple countries' treasuries and redistributes them as loans for developing country projects. Over the decades since its founding, the Bank has used its massive leverage to accomplish some good, but it is also a lavish bureaucracy with a penchant for financing population control and, indirectly, abortion. It is a frequent partner of International Planned Parenthood. Thus the Bank's sudden fit of morality rings hollow. In fact, on Tuesday of this week, a senior Bank manager urged Wolfowitz to resign, citing "concern" that he wished to impose the Bush Administration's pro-life policies on the Bank. Wolfowitz reportedly says he doesn't (though it would be good if he did). To his credit, Wolfowitz had disclosed his relationship with the "companion" before joining the Bank, asked for ethics advice, received it, and followed it. There are few things uglier than a partisan policy war masquerading as a scandal.
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