任命IMF总裁之位
原文: 选自英国>
译者: 爱尔兰都柏林大学 赖小琪
Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s days as head of the International Monetary Fund look numbered. Following his arrest in New York on sex charges, there are growing calls for him to step down immediately to avoid damaging the institution.
多米尼克•斯特劳斯-卡恩在国际货币基金组织(IMF)的总裁之位好像进入倒计时. 自从他因为性侵犯控诉而在纽约被捕以来, 为了防止此事损害了IMF的声誉, 群众们对他立即下台的呼声不断.
Natural justice demands that Mr Strauss-Kahn should not be pushed until he has had a chance to present his side of the story. Only when the case proceeds to trial does the argument for his departure become unanswerable.
按照法律常规, 卡恩在被迫离职之前应当享有机会对事件本身进行辩解. 只有当整个案子进入到法庭审理阶段后, 对他离职的要求才无可厚非.
The IMF need not panic if this comes to pass as it has a competent deputy in place in the shape of John Lipsky. It is to be hoped that he can if necessary be persuaded to stay on beyond August, when he had planned to step down. But while the search for a replacement should not be rushed, it cannot be long delayed. With the IMF at a critical juncture, a leadership vacuum must be avoided.
如果事情真的到了那一步, IMF也不必恐慌, 因为它还有一个胜任该职位的副总裁约翰•利普斯基可以暂代卡恩之位. 本来约翰打算在8月份退休, 可是如果有必要, IMF可以说他在8月以后继续任职. 但是, 尽管总裁之位的人选确定不应操之过急, 然而也不能长久悬空. 随着IMF处在风口浪尖之际, 必须避免领导职位的空缺.
There will be a temptation - given the Fund’s history and its deep involvement in the eurozone debt crisis – simply to reach for another European to head the institution. But while this might seem the easier course, it would be a mistake. The Fund’s shareholders should cast their net widely in the search for a possible successor.
鉴于IMF的历史及其在欧元区债务危机中所扮演的角色, 欧洲国家意欲寻找另一名欧洲人来继续领导IMF. 但是, 尽管这可能看起来很简单, 但是却可能是一个错误. IMF的股东们应当把网撒得更大一些, 以寻求合适的继任者.
This is not simply because of the eastward shift of economic power, which has rendered the long-established European and American practice of stitching up the top jobs at the IMF and the World Bank look anachronistic. It has also to do with the task at hand.
这样做并不仅仅是因为世界经济力量向东方转移使得欧洲和美国长期将IMF和世界银行的最高领导职位固定在欧洲人和美国人的做法显得过时, 同时也与目前需要解决的问题有关.
Mr Strauss-Kahn played a key role in persuading eurozone leaders to partner with the IMF in tackling the Greek crisis, accepting both the Fund’s help and the conditionality that came along with it. But the challenge ahead is different. With Greece coming back for a second round of borrowing, it will be either to convince the Europeans to accede to a restructuring if the conclusion is reached that Greece is insolvent, or to persuade the rest of the world to back further loans if it is not. Arguably, either course calls for the critical detachment of an outsider as much as the political nous that carries weight in European chancelleries. It is also a vital decision, as much for the Fund as for the eurozone. The wrong choice could blow the IMF’s reputation with financial markets and politicians alike.
在说服欧元区领导人与IMF合作共同解决希腊危机中, 卡恩起着非常重要的作用. 欧元区的国家不仅接受了IMF的援助, 同时也接受了附加的条件. 但是, 目前的挑战与以往不同. 希腊如今正在寻求第二轮贷款, 如果希腊无力偿债, 则可以召集欧洲国家同意对希腊进行债务重组; 反之, 则说服世界其他国家对其进行贷款援助. 可以说, 不管最后结果如何, 都需要局外人那种客观批判的态度以及在欧洲国家领导人中起着举足轻重作用的政治智商. 同时, 这对IMF以及整个欧元区来说也是一个重要的决策. 决策错误将会使IMF在金融市场和政界声誉扫地.
Given the stakes, the next IMF head must be picked purely on merit. The best candidate should have a sound grasp of economics, political clout and the ability to run a large bureaucracy. He or she may ultimately be a European, but it should not be pre-ordained.
鉴于这些利害关系, 下一任IMF总裁必须唯才是命. 最佳的后选人必须具备经济学知识, 政治影响力以及驾驭大型机构的能力. 这位后选人可能最终是欧洲人, 但是不应该被提前设定. |
