“Some countries can achieve growth for many years” without the institutions needed for clean government, such as an independent judiciary and free press, Wolfowitz said.

“Indonesia is a good example. But the devastating economic crisis that followed shows how fragile growth can be when institutions that help keep governments accountable, transparent and responsive are systematically weakened.” (via World Bank Strategy Targets Corruption)

Like most people in Europe, I didn’t really welcome Paul Wolfowitz’ appointment to the top-job at the World Bank, assuming, again like most of the Europeans, that the World Bank would merely become another vehicle for U.S. interest in the world.

But once he found “his task”, the task he is most interested and where he can really make his mark, it started looking verrrry interesting.

One of the biggest problems of World Bank help (remember, the “job description” for the World Bank is fighting/reducing proverty in this world) for me was that all the money it poured into those poor, poorer and poorest countries somehow “got lost”, trickled away in the corruption mill. The people most in need of the aid, the poor, never got anything out of it and those people at the top of the World Bank money food chain actually became richer and richer.

As we know, most of the poorest countries are either un-democratic, have corrupt elites, no judiciary and the word “press” stems from “pressure on people”. Being a World Bank-naive, I always asked myself why we can’t try to first fight corruption and graft and then start pouring in money. I know, I know, this sounds really naive, but lets do some cerebellum athletics:

Lets assume every rich country sets up a working and applicable legal framework forbidding local companies to use graft as a mechanism to get contracts or do business in foreign countries and requiring every local company to have a Chief Anti-Corruption Officer and also requiring every local company to have an addendum to their Annual Report regarding corruption inside the company as well as in the market it operates.

Additionally lets assume we apply these laws to their full extent and punish our own companies if they actively use corruption as a business means. What would happen, if all rich countries would implement such a framework? I am sure, most, if not all, rich-world countries use one method or another (of corruption) in order to do business in emerging and developing markets. Transparency International is fighting for such an agreement for a long time now and it seems an uphill battle (both ways). But if the World Bank is behind such an effort, especially if a Washington Hawk like Wolfowitz puts all his weight behind this effort, I believe we can make this world a little better with respect to corruption and graft.

This is the reasone I finally welcome Mr Wolwofitz appointment to the top job at the World Bank.