The IMF and the Bank are controlled by the governments of rich countries for the benefit of transnational corporations. The people who live and die from these policies have no say in the decision making process. The governments of rich countries dominate the decision-making at the institutions. Policies imposed by outsiders on people in developing countries will never lead to the elimination of poverty or sustainable economic development. People in developing countries must be able to determine their own economic policies.
Voting power is determined by the amount of money that each country pays to the institutions.
This would be bad enough, but our government s policies at the IMF are determined by the U.S. Treasury Department in consultation with Wall Street. This leads to decisions that benefit wealthy bankers, investors and corporations at the expense of sustainable development. The interests of the American people in raising living standards abroad and at home are ignored. In Seattle, during the WTO meeting, the protests became violent. Destruction of property and violence against persons are not part of our mass non-violent direct action against the IMF and the World Bank.