Simon Johnson: Can the I.M.F. Save The World?

The finance ministers and central bank governors of the world gather this weekend in Washington for the annual meeting of countries that are shareholders in the International Monetary Fund. As financial turmoil continues unabated around the world and with the I.M.F.’s newly lowered growth forecasts to concentrate the mind, perhaps this is a good time for the fund – or someone – to save the world.

Comments

[democrats for life]

09:57 AM on 09/24/2011

nothing can save this country from the massive damage Bush created

[castlemike]

08:07 AM on 09/24/2011

No IMF does not have Trillions to address Derivatives when the dominoes start Falling taking out other Dominoes.

[michelv]

03:38 AM on 09/24/2011

Eeeh, no?

[Texas rebel]

11:59 AM on 09/23/2011

Can the I.M.F. Save The World?

Hardly, they are the problem just as the Fed is the problem here in the US.

[cornflower]

11:06 AM on 09/23/2011

Can the IMF save the world? Not bloody likely, as the Brits say!

[iam99]

10:28 AM on 09/23/2011

What is wrong with the world view?
IMF, ECB, Fed, BIS - working to keep all indebted forever.

[Mr MOTO]

10:19 AM on 09/23/2011

They need some wars to break ouit so that they can finance them...

[ringo3khan]

10:52 AM on 09/24/2011

Yup and believe me..........they will.

[WADRGFY]

10:03 AM on 09/23/2011

The IMF save the world? Surely you jest. The IMF has been an instrument of economic terrorism inflicted on developing nations specifically to keep them where they are; in obeyance of the western powers....just ask any South American state how they feel about the IMF and you'll probably be met with a stream of invective.

[Epilef2000]

05:16 PM on 09/23/2011

Structural adjustment or shock therapy as milton friedmam and los chicago boys put it.....but the IMF's disengenous ideological belief in free markets and the impedong booms and catastrophic busts..are exactly what they wanted

[Veri]

08:54 AM on 09/23/2011

Given the IMFs record.. in a nutshell... NO!

They are more adept at indebting nations than saving them.

[RedneckSamurai]

08:48 AM on 09/23/2011

Mummies... Never trusted them, never will

[sf omega man]

03:47 AM on 09/23/2011

why is she so .. orange?

[Maschine]

02:26 AM on 09/23/2011

Who is the IMF but perhaps just another layer of highly paid bureacrats who sport nice tans , wear nice clothes and generally have no idea of what life is like on the real streets and barrios of the world.

What will save the world is simple. let those that gamble lose everything they have on bad bets. Stop leaning on working people to bail them out.

If people are found to cheat, steal defraud, then bankrupt them and send them to prison.

Allow every country to settle its own issues and if they need assistance have a set of guidelines they must achieve before they can borrow.

What we need is a one world government but we are not ready for it nor are we mature enough to accept this, not by a longshot.

[Rational Thought Plz]

01:09 AM on 09/23/2011

I'll save ya the trouble of reading the article.

No.

[4eva]

12:14 AM on 09/23/2011

No. The IMF are financial terrorists.
They plant debt bombs all over the world.

[Maschine]

06:36 PM on 09/23/2011

Then Americans must ask themselves why all leaders on the Hill and in the White House give this body credibility.

Its a profound question for me. Either I am stupid or I have zero control.

So whats a populace to do when it has no control ?

[AlfredE69]

11:56 PM on 09/22/2011

Please deposit $10M into my bank account to stimulate my economy!