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TechnographColumn: With or without him
By Chuck Prochaska
Posted: 3/8/05 Section: Opinions
Paul Hewson is 44 years old. He lives in Ireland with his wife, Ali, and their four children. He enjoys singing and oration, and considers himself an amateur thespian. Yet, given this lifestyle, he is being considered as president of the World Bank.
You probably know Mr. Hewson better as Bono, the lead singer of the pop group U2. Aside from his professional career as an entertainer, Bono has become recognized worldwide as an advocate for issues plaguing developing nations, particularly the fight against poverty.
Said less altruistically, Bono has appeared detached from the issue and politically biased, delivering many a concert-stage political sermon bashing American policies. However, he recently toured Africa with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who said he was impressed with Bono's knowledge and understanding of economic issues that affect the third world. He brought the conservative Jessie Helms to tears after citing Bible passages relating to poverty. He might hate America, but he knows his stuff about Africa and how to work a crowd.
As a reward for his work, he has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for these "international social justice efforts," specifically for trying to persuade rich nations to forgive the debt of poor nations.
Whether that is sound international fiscal policy is up for debate. However, the fact remains that Bono is the wrong man to head the World Bank.
To some, Bono seems like an Arnold Schwarzenegger - a well-liked celebrity who knows a thing or two about politics and is powerful enough to convince smart people to help the government fix problems. Electing Arnold was a risk, but he turned out okay. Likewise, many think that selecting Bono is an idea so crazy that it just might work. However, running a global financial institution is a much more objective and individual task.
Running the World Bank requires more than a big heart, crazy sunglasses and an Irish brogue. Bono has no formal education in economic policy-making - his simplistic rallying cry is that rich countries need to give poor countries more money.
You probably know Mr. Hewson better as Bono, the lead singer of the pop group U2. Aside from his professional career as an entertainer, Bono has become recognized worldwide as an advocate for issues plaguing developing nations, particularly the fight against poverty.
Said less altruistically, Bono has appeared detached from the issue and politically biased, delivering many a concert-stage political sermon bashing American policies. However, he recently toured Africa with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who said he was impressed with Bono's knowledge and understanding of economic issues that affect the third world. He brought the conservative Jessie Helms to tears after citing Bible passages relating to poverty. He might hate America, but he knows his stuff about Africa and how to work a crowd.
As a reward for his work, he has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for these "international social justice efforts," specifically for trying to persuade rich nations to forgive the debt of poor nations.
Whether that is sound international fiscal policy is up for debate. However, the fact remains that Bono is the wrong man to head the World Bank.
To some, Bono seems like an Arnold Schwarzenegger - a well-liked celebrity who knows a thing or two about politics and is powerful enough to convince smart people to help the government fix problems. Electing Arnold was a risk, but he turned out okay. Likewise, many think that selecting Bono is an idea so crazy that it just might work. However, running a global financial institution is a much more objective and individual task.
Running the World Bank requires more than a big heart, crazy sunglasses and an Irish brogue. Bono has no formal education in economic policy-making - his simplistic rallying cry is that rich countries need to give poor countries more money.
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