Views from the Center

Predictably and perhaps appropriately, the flood of remembrances of Robert McNamara is focusing on his role as the architect of the Vietnam War. Yet McNamara was also a transformative president of the World Bank, shaping both that institution and the larger development enterprise in ways that are still felt today. McNamara served for 13 years as World Bank president, almost twice the seven years he previously spent as the U.S. defense secretary (both terms set records for length that have yet to be exceeded).