(The Political Scientist) When it appears that the World Trade Organization will finally get its director-general. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, given the withdrawal of the other finalist, South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee, the United States is insisting that it would not support the candidacy of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, saying it would prefer a candidate who has real experience in trade. Robert Lighthizer, the United States Chief Trade representative stated that the world body need “someone with real experience in trade.” Since a consensus is needed to approve a candidate, this impasse means that the global trade body would have to wait and engage in intense negotiations to have Okonjo-Iweala approved.

In the meantime, Okonjo-Iweala has served noticed that her qualifications and experiences makes her the right person for the post at this point in time. Her spokesman, stated, “Dr Okonjo-Iweala looks forward to engaging with the Biden administration and is hopeful that final consensus can soon be reached. The WTO urgently needs to get to work at this time of global crisis.” Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was two-term minister of finance in Nigeria and also served briefly as the foreign minister. She also held an executive position at the World Bank.