Midway through last weekend's meeting of world finance and development ministers in Washington it looked as if Paul Wolfowitz's strategy of toughing out the Shaha Riza controversy might work, and he could emerge with his prospects of holding on to his job as World Bank president enhanced.
But after Sunday's unprecedented statement of "great concern" by the bank's shareholder governments - including the US - the likelihood that he will see out his full term looks considerably diminished.
