Wolfowitz on the edge

Washington, D.C.

Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz this week came under growing international pressure to resign. The development ministers of Germany and Norway called for Wolfowitz to step down; Western development ministers have a large say in the policies of the bank, which makes loans to developing nations. At the same time, 41 former World Bank officials signed an open letter demanding Wolfowitz’s resignation. Wolfowitz has been trying to quell a staff mutiny since reports surfaced that he arranged for his longtime companion, Shaha Riza, a World Bank executive, to be transferred to the State Department, with two substantial pay increases. To fight for his job, Wolfowitz hired high-powered lawyer Bob Bennett, who defended Bill Clinton against sexual-harassment charges.