James Wolfensohn
James Wolfensohn
James David Wolfensohn, KBE, AOis an Australian-American lawyer, investment banker and economist who served as the ninth president of the World Bank Group...
NationalityAustralian
ProfessionBusinessman
Date of Birth1 December 1933
CountryAustralia
anyone believes kids quartet school starving surprise win
It would surprise me if one could win by getting all the kids out of school or starving the Palestinians. And I don't think anyone in the Quartet believes that to be the policy.
believe million peace starving
I do not believe you can have a million starving Palestinians and have peace.
arisen colleagues distress feeling problems share
I share with my colleagues the feeling of distress from the problems that have arisen on the streets,
help highest moment willing
At this moment the world is willing to help at the highest level,
adequate commercial depend export extent fragile optimism success time
Commercial success will depend to a significant extent on adequate export arrangements. Time is short, and optimism is a fragile commodity.
asking bridge build building difficult opportunity side
We are asking for calm, and the opportunity to build a bridge, ... But it's very difficult to build a bridge if only one side is building it.
below children die estimate likely line living million people poverty terrorist thousands worldwide
We estimate that tens of thousands more children will die worldwide and some 10 million people are likely to be living below the poverty line of $1 a day because of the terrorist attacks.
both clear few next opportunity sides successful tragedy trying whether
I think it will be a tragedy for both sides if that opportunity is not done, but can I give you a guarantee? No. I can only tell you that we are clear in what we are trying to do, and in the next few days, we will know whether we are successful or not.
additional assistance authorized countries emergency existing funds preparing release require
We have authorized the release of funds from existing projects, and we are preparing emergency assistance for those countries that will require additional financing,
attractive itself leader life quartet role seem spend
The Quartet itself must continue, but the role of a disenfranchised leader of that Quartet does not seem to me to be a particularly attractive thing to spend your life doing. And so I am considering (leaving) -- but not yet decided.
fragile miss next opportunity optimism regret time
Time is short, and optimism is a fragile commodity, ... miss this opportunity for change, we will regret it for the next decade.
maybe next others plans quarter whether year
I am just going to see in the next quarter of this year what my own plans are, and see whether I can still make a contribution, or maybe there will be others who can do better than me.
agreements assumption automatic based convince divides economic faith moral politics teach
One of the assumptions that divides institutions of faith from those based on politics and international agreements is the automatic assumption that you have to teach me spirituality, that you have to give me a moral center, that you must convince me there's more to development than economic mechanisms.
barriers buildings cement difference past understand
One need only look at the cement barriers surrounding these buildings to understand the big difference of the past year.