DSK

The big news in Germany is, of course, that IMF-head Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been arrested in New York for alleged rape.  I‘m not sure what to think of it. On the one hand, it seems improbable that a man of his position and age would conduct himself like that, especially in a foreign country known for its no-nonsense approach to law enforcement; on the other hand, he has a track record in France for an, err, unorthodox sex live. In addition, those people often think they are untouchable. Eliot Spitzer comes to mind; then again, Spitzer also comes to mind as someone who might have been set up.

So, to sum it up, I have no idea. There are some interesting points made in the German media, though; first, not only was he a major opponent of Nicholas Sarkozy (who is a conservative, while DSK is a Socialist), also, he was on his way to Greece to, in effect, rescue the Euro. So, could there anybody be interested in an Euro collapse? But, of course, again, the IMF is not headless now, it is run by the former number two, John Lipsky, He is an American, and a former banker with JP Morgan, Chase Manhattan, and Salomon Bros (not Goldman, Sachs, to my astonishment).

Politically speaking, the big winner might not be Sarkozy, but Marine Le Pen, the leader of the right wing Front National who is running against both. She already came out to denounce DSK, no big surprise here. In any case, that will be interesting.