Jens Weidmann

In 1986, when I was 38, I considered myself young, pragmatic and somewhat visionary and revolutionary. That year I created the international economic forum FONDAD to contribute to resolving the debt crisis of the eighties and preventing future crises. That same year Jens Weidmann was 19.

In the period 1987-2007, many economists around the world attended the conferences organized by FONDAD during those 20 years, including ministers of finance and central bank presidents.

Jens Weidmann is now 45 and is president of the German central bank. I doubt that he considers himself young and revolutionary. More likely, he sees himself as pragmatic and, perhaps, a bit visionary.

However, I do not think that Jens Weidmann is pragmatic, nor visionary, even though many who agree with him may think he is.