A couple interesting observations in just spending 10 minutes trying to be more "open minded"...
Interesting summary of world bank history for those interested...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank
* key quote from this page
Quote:
Development goals and strategies should be “owned†by the country, based on local stakeholder participation in shaping them
http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wg ... _chart.asp Interesting to note from the sources of this report that CR has gone DOWNHILL in every meaningful category since 1998 in this graph...especially in the category of corruption. I guess maybe the intent of the article is in comparison to other countries. But to my reading, it appears they are proud that their corrupt practices havent gone as downhill as other countries apparently. That doesnt mean corruption has been reduced or inproved in the country...
And finally...
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns ... t2001.htmlNotable quote...
Quote:
For more than 50 years, the IMF and the World Bank have advanced a form of economic "development" that prioritizes the concerns of wealthy lenders and multinational corporations in the industrialized north while neglecting the needs of the world's poor majority. The institutions work as a kind of international loan shark, exerting enormous influence over the economies of more than 60 countries. In order to get loans, international assistance, and debt relief, countries must agree to conditions set by the Bank and Fund. Under the guise of promoting "free trade," market liberalization, and financial stability, these two institutions have forced cuts in health care, education and other social services for millions of people across the planet, thereby deepening poverty and increasing inequality. By elevating concerns about macroeconomic financial stability above all other competing values, the institutions have created a human rights catastrophe