Hillary Clinton wants World Bank job, say sources

Sources say US secretary of state and White House have discussed her leaving post in 2012 to become head of Bank Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has been in discussions with the White House about leaving her job next year to become head of the World Bank, sources said on Thursday. The former first lady and ex-presidential candidate quickly became one of the most influential members of Barack Obama’s cabinet after she began working at the state department in early 2009. Clinton has said publicly she did not plan to stay on at the state department for more than four years. Associates say Clinton has expressed interest in having the World Bank job should the Bank’s current president, Robert Zoellick, leave at the end of his term, in the middle of 2012. “Hillary Clinton wants the job,” said one source who knows the secretary well. A second source also said Clinton wants the position. A third source said Obama has already expressed support for the change in her role. It is unclear whether Obama has formally agreed to nominate her for the post, which would require approval by the 187 member countries of the World Bank. The White House declined to comment. A spokesman for Clinton denied she wanted the job or had had conversations with the White House about it. The revelations could harm Clinton’s efforts as America’s top diplomat if she is seen as a lame duck in the job at a time of great foreign policy challenges for the Obama administration. However, the timing of the discussions is not unusual given that the United States is considering whether to support another European as head of the World Bank’s sister organisation, the IMF. The head of the IMF has always been a European, and the World Bank presidency has always been held by an American. That unwritten gentleman’s agreement between Europe and the US is now being challenged by fast-growing emerging economies that have to date been shut out of the process. The United States has not publicly supported the European candidate for the IMF, French finance minister Christine Lagarde, although Washington’s support is expected. Neither institution has ever been headed by a woman. If Clinton were to leave her current post, John Kerry, a close Obama ally who is chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, is among those who could be considered as a possible replacement for her. Clinton’s star power and work ethic were seen by Obama as crucial qualities for her role as the nation’s top diplomat, even though she did not arrive in the job with an extensive foreign policy background. She has embraced the globetrotting aspects of the job, logging many hours on plane trips to nurture alliances and to visit hot spots like Afghanistan and countries in the Middle East. She has long been vocal on global development issues, especially the need for economic empowerment of women and girls in developing countries. Her husband, Bill Clinton, has also been involved in these issues through his philanthropic work at the Clinton Global Initiative. The World Bank provides billions of dollars in development funds to the poorest countries and is also at the centre of issues such as climate change, rebuilding countries emerging from conflict and recently the transitions towards democracy in Tunisia and Egypt. Hillary Clinton US politics World Bank Obama administration United States Economics Global economy guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 9, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.