Should an American Lead the IMF Following Sex Scandal? Odds-Makers Taking Bets Already

by Darwin on May 18, 2011

Following the shocking allegations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn and being hauled off a plane, arrested and denied bail, he now resides under suicide watch awaiting trial.  Apparently, he won’t have the benefit of diplomatic immunity and his ambitions for the next leader of France have obviously been greatly diminished.  On to his replacement…There’s been plenty of talk about successors, most of them based in the EU.  Take a look at the table below compliments of the Economist.

 

No American has ever headed the IMF, but since US taxpayers actually fund a fair amount of the IMF (America: Pissed That You’re Bailing out the EU? Because You Are…), I wonder why not?  There’s only one American candidate in the running and tons of EU contestants.
What Are Your Thoughts on an American IMF Leader?

{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

101 Centavos May 19, 2011 at 7:46 am

Only if we get more sex scandals. 🙂
I like the Turkish candidate’s name, Kemal Dervis.
The press would be able to make punny comments about his “whirling derwish” abilities, as the IMF engages in financial gyrations.

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Darwin May 19, 2011 at 5:59 pm

Hah, I heard Arnold is thinking about it…

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Sustainable PF May 19, 2011 at 8:58 am

Given the trillions the US owes to the world and the sustained recession the US has been in for 3 years i’d say NO.

Read an article about the VP having a net worth of about $250k. Really? That is close to his annual pay!

I’ll prop up our country here – Canada. Our system did not collapse or require bail out. Europe is a mess, the US is a mess but Canada came out of it all OK. We should be leading the IMF as other countries can’t even manage their own financial disasters let alone lead the international community.

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Darwin May 19, 2011 at 6:00 pm

hmmm, can’t argue with your thesis. Other than to say if “size” of economy matters, US should get a shot. But yes, we many a large budget poorly.

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Financial Success for Young Adults May 19, 2011 at 10:22 am

I think it’s interesting that there are really no Americans in the running. But to be honest I’d rather either a Brit or an Aussie head the IMF. They both have strong currencies and governments in my opinion.

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Darwin May 19, 2011 at 6:01 pm

Britain has a pretty bad financial situation as well; austerity will probably crimp their growth for some time. Australia…not so bad, but very reliant upon their natural resources. They don’t have much of a service/innovation economy. Not sure how long that currency stays strong as resources depleted.

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Financial Success For Young Adults May 19, 2011 at 8:24 pm

Yeah, Australia is pretty dependent on gold, but I think they would be able to run a sustainable budget even without their natural resources.

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retirebyforty May 19, 2011 at 12:03 pm

What the heck was Dominique thinking? It’s not like he is short of pick up line. Use “I’m head of IMF” for goodness sake.

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Darwin May 19, 2011 at 6:01 pm

Probably the same thing Clinton, spitzer and so many others think. Dumbasses just want a thrill without considering the consequences.

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krantcents May 19, 2011 at 4:11 pm

I rather have an American than someone from China! Head of the IMF needs to be a Global Banker. That said, we probably have the largest banks in the world, however it was our banks that caused the financial crisis. That is the main reason I do not think it should be an American.

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JT McGee May 20, 2011 at 12:32 pm

Absolutely!

We created the IMF post-WII in Bretton Woods. We should have the helm, as far as I’m concerned.

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