Synopses & Reviews
Never has the World Bank's relief work been more important than in the last nine years, when crises as huge as AIDS and the emergence of terrorist sanctuaries have threatened the prosperity of billions. This journalistic masterpiece by Washington Post columnist Sebastian Mallaby charts those controversial years at the Bank under the leadership of James Wolfensohn—the unstoppable power broker whose daring efforts to enlarge the planet's wealth in an age of globalization and terror were matched only by the force of his polarizing personality. Based on unprecedented access to its subject, this captivating tour through the messy reality of global development is that rare triumph—an emblematic story through which a gifted author has channeled the spirit of the age.
- This edition features a new afterword by the author that analyzes the appointment of Paul Wolfowitz as Wolfensohn's successor at the World bank
Review
"A sophisticated, evenhanded take on the [World Bank's] last decade of development efforts... Illuminating... heartbreaking... a fascinating narrative." —
The New York Times
"An excellent read... [Mallaby] has a talent for brilliant writing and penetrating analysis." —Financial Times
About the Author
Sebastian Mallaby has been a Washington Post columnist since 1999. From 1986 to 1999, he was on the staff of The Economist, serving in Zimbabwe, London, and Japan, and as the magazine's Washington bureau chief. He spent 2003 as a Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and has written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, and The New Republic, among others.
Table of Contents
Preface: The Prisoner of Lilliput
Chapter One: A Tale of Two Ambitions
Chapter Two: "World Bank Murderer"
Chapter Three: The Renaissance President
Chapter Four: A Twister in Africa
Chapter Five: Mission Sarajevo
Chapter Six: Narcissus and the Octopus
Chapter Seven: The Cancer of Corruption
Chapter Eight: Uganda's Myth and Miracle
Chapter Nine: A Framework for Development
Chapter Ten: From Seattle to Tibet
Chapter Eleven: Waking Up to Terror
Chapter Twelve: A Plague upon Development
Chapter Thirteen: Back to the Future
Chapter Fourteen: A Lion at Carnegie
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index