May 15, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Because of his central role in U.S. war plans in Iraq, Paul Wolfowitz has always stirred passions.

Today, he faces what may be a make-or-break meeting on his future before the World Bank's 24-nation board of shareholder governments.

That comes after the bank's ethics panel concluded on May 14 that Wolfowitz violated his contract, and called on the board to determine today whether he is able to "provide the leadership needed" for the bank to fulfill its mission...

There have been periodic protests outside the bank's headquarters in Washington, including one last week. They follow revelations last month that Wolfowitz arranged for a lucrative pay raise in the reassignment of his longtime companion, Shaha Riza, who remained on the bank's payroll...

Steve Clemons, an analyst with the New America Foundation, says a lot of the opposition to Wolfowitz is based as much on his past role at the Pentagon as it is on his present one at the World Bank.

"I think that for many people, this battle is a proxy war for Paul Wolfowitz's blind spots and judgment errors in a host of other areas," Clemons says...

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