Monday, March 22, 2010

Calderon gets World bank backing

Something that I don't think has received enough press recently is the World Bank president's support for Calderon's drug war. This strikes me as interesting: the World Bank doesn't normally openly support conflicts, to the best of my knowledge. It has backed US military moves discreetly, yes, but open support is another thing. This support also comes at a time when the Mexican economy is truly suffering, on account of both the crisis and the drug war.

The World Bank is not known for taking risks; I don't know of it taking a highly moral line either when it comes to the likes of drug trafficking. (It has certainly pointed out the economic devastation organized crime has caused in places like Afghanistan, however, so it does take stands.)

So to me, the World Bank president's statements come as a surprise. And they offer some interesting insights: this country's economy may actually be going in the right direction, in spite of the drug war and the crisis. Here's hoping... (At the very least, the World Bank doesn't think Calderon is sending his country into a tailspin; at the very worst, the World Bank is deceptively hoping that Calderon will ask for some sort of bailout. But I don't want to be too cynical.)

No comments:

Post a Comment