8. Torturing Argentina. After helping plunge Argentina into economic chaos, the IMF has sadistically demanded a ceaseless set of additional moves to deregulation and austerity.
9. Collaborating with Enron. In the last decade, the World Bank made a dozen loans totaling more than $750 million for projects involving Enron. In the Dominican Republic, World Bank-supported privatization let Enron swoop in, buy parts of the electric utility and jack up rates. When consumers and the government couldn't pay the high prices, Enron turned off the power. Enron and other buyers of the privatized utility are now alleged to have paid too little, thanks to a valuation performed by … an Arthur Andersen subsidiary.
10. Protest works. In the aftermath of the last major U.S. demonstrations against the IMF and Bank, Congress in 2000 passed a law requiring the U.S. to oppose IMF or Bank loans including user fees for primary education or healthcare. That helped force a reversal in the Bank's policy on school fees, with results that are slowly being felt on the ground. After Tanzania lifted primary education user fees, 1.5 million additional children -- mostly girls -- were able to go to school.
See you in Washington!
9. Collaborating with Enron. In the last decade, the World Bank made a dozen loans totaling more than $750 million for projects involving Enron. In the Dominican Republic, World Bank-supported privatization let Enron swoop in, buy parts of the electric utility and jack up rates. When consumers and the government couldn't pay the high prices, Enron turned off the power. Enron and other buyers of the privatized utility are now alleged to have paid too little, thanks to a valuation performed by … an Arthur Andersen subsidiary.
10. Protest works. In the aftermath of the last major U.S. demonstrations against the IMF and Bank, Congress in 2000 passed a law requiring the U.S. to oppose IMF or Bank loans including user fees for primary education or healthcare. That helped force a reversal in the Bank's policy on school fees, with results that are slowly being felt on the ground. After Tanzania lifted primary education user fees, 1.5 million additional children -- mostly girls -- were able to go to school.
See you in Washington!