Recent news related to the IMF bring a bad whiff of colonialism. I am not referring to the fact that a rich and powerful Frenchman who was head of the IMF is accused of attempted rape in his luxury hotel waitress a young African. What happened there we do not know and you have to wait before convicting Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
But what no one had to wait are the ebbs ugly colonial attempt to impose a European as his successor. According to this view only in Europe can be in charge of the IMF, an institution owned by 187 countries. This proposal "only" discriminates the remaining 93% of humanity. It is unusual for an organization that requires governments borrow it to adopt principles of transparency, efficiency and meritocracy choose their leader through a process that violates the rules you preach.
This happens because, in 1944, the U.S. and Europe agreed that the IMF chief would always be a European and the World Bank an American. This agreement is today is as obsolete as unacceptable. Even the G-20 leaders, whose countries represent over 80% of the global economy and two thirds of the world's population, pledged in 2009 that the heads of these institutions would be chosen through a process "open, transparent and based on merit.
" The fact that these have not always been the criteria, and that even today are not, is outrageous. But what is more still see attempts to continue to ensure the charge for a European. Didier Reynders, Belgian Finance Minister, said that "it would be better than us we continued to occupy these positions in the future." Angela Merkel agree that someone might be emerging IMF chief ...
"Medium term". So far there wants a European. It is no accident that Christine Lagarde and appears as the favorite. In addition to competition, is French. Lagarde would be nice if it were measured in an open process with candidates from other parties. But those who defend the need for a European the IMF did not want their candidate to compete in an open process, they want to be crowned the world.
Influential columnists Europeans argue that the critical role of the IMF bailout in Europe requires that your boss knows the continent and has deep ties to the political class. It is curious that this criterion was never mentioned as Asia or Latin America had their financial crisis and the IMF was in charge of a Frenchman or a German.
In the Financial Times, Wolfgang Munchau wonders "whether, by more competent it is, the Mexican Central Bank president, for example, could fulfill this role successfully ... Your work is going to be very focused on European issues, which will force you to hit heads in meetings of finance ministers and to persuade stubborn heads of government.
" Munchau is that European politicians are more reluctant than American or Asian to impose unpopular economic measures that inevitably accompany IMF bailouts. This is not true. The argument can be flipped to show that the best person to help Europe in its current circumstances is a competent economist, Brazilian, Turkish and Thai, and had the experience of successfully managing a similar crisis in their country.
It is also true that while the problems are now in Europe, which are surely will arise in any of the major emerging countries. Finally there is the small detail that while Europe's weight in the global economy declines, the emerging countries like China, India and Brazil is in sharp ascent.
How to justify that new emerging powers, whose influence on the economic health of the world and is crucial, can not access the highest positions in the international financial governance? I do not know what surprised me most, how obvious is that nationality should not define who can lead the IMF or the wrong approach has many defenders.
It is obvious that the position should be open to all qualified candidates anywhere in the world, and that the selection process must be transparent and just focused on the merits of candidates. And it would not hurt to ask the candidates, if elected, promise to stay in office during their lifetime.
The last three heads of the IMF, all Europeans, of course, resigned early. Follow me on Twitter: @ moisesnaim 
But what no one had to wait are the ebbs ugly colonial attempt to impose a European as his successor. According to this view only in Europe can be in charge of the IMF, an institution owned by 187 countries. This proposal "only" discriminates the remaining 93% of humanity. It is unusual for an organization that requires governments borrow it to adopt principles of transparency, efficiency and meritocracy choose their leader through a process that violates the rules you preach.
This happens because, in 1944, the U.S. and Europe agreed that the IMF chief would always be a European and the World Bank an American. This agreement is today is as obsolete as unacceptable. Even the G-20 leaders, whose countries represent over 80% of the global economy and two thirds of the world's population, pledged in 2009 that the heads of these institutions would be chosen through a process "open, transparent and based on merit.
" The fact that these have not always been the criteria, and that even today are not, is outrageous. But what is more still see attempts to continue to ensure the charge for a European. Didier Reynders, Belgian Finance Minister, said that "it would be better than us we continued to occupy these positions in the future." Angela Merkel agree that someone might be emerging IMF chief ...
"Medium term". So far there wants a European. It is no accident that Christine Lagarde and appears as the favorite. In addition to competition, is French. Lagarde would be nice if it were measured in an open process with candidates from other parties. But those who defend the need for a European the IMF did not want their candidate to compete in an open process, they want to be crowned the world.
Influential columnists Europeans argue that the critical role of the IMF bailout in Europe requires that your boss knows the continent and has deep ties to the political class. It is curious that this criterion was never mentioned as Asia or Latin America had their financial crisis and the IMF was in charge of a Frenchman or a German.
In the Financial Times, Wolfgang Munchau wonders "whether, by more competent it is, the Mexican Central Bank president, for example, could fulfill this role successfully ... Your work is going to be very focused on European issues, which will force you to hit heads in meetings of finance ministers and to persuade stubborn heads of government.
" Munchau is that European politicians are more reluctant than American or Asian to impose unpopular economic measures that inevitably accompany IMF bailouts. This is not true. The argument can be flipped to show that the best person to help Europe in its current circumstances is a competent economist, Brazilian, Turkish and Thai, and had the experience of successfully managing a similar crisis in their country.
It is also true that while the problems are now in Europe, which are surely will arise in any of the major emerging countries. Finally there is the small detail that while Europe's weight in the global economy declines, the emerging countries like China, India and Brazil is in sharp ascent.
How to justify that new emerging powers, whose influence on the economic health of the world and is crucial, can not access the highest positions in the international financial governance? I do not know what surprised me most, how obvious is that nationality should not define who can lead the IMF or the wrong approach has many defenders.
It is obvious that the position should be open to all qualified candidates anywhere in the world, and that the selection process must be transparent and just focused on the merits of candidates. And it would not hurt to ask the candidates, if elected, promise to stay in office during their lifetime.
The last three heads of the IMF, all Europeans, of course, resigned early. Follow me on Twitter: @ moisesnaim
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