Dominique Strauss-Kahn

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Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Incumbent
Assumed office 
November 1, 2007
Preceded by Rodrigo de Rato
In office
4 June 1997 – - 2 November 1999
Preceded by Jean Arthuis
Succeeded by Christian Sautter
Born April 25, 1949 (1949-04-25) (age 59)
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Nationality Flag of France French
Political party Socialist Party
Religion Jewish[citation needed]

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, often referred to as DSK, (born 25 April 1949 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a French economist, lawyer, and politician, member of the Socialist Party (PS). He was selected as the new Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 28 September 2007.

A former Finance and Economy Minister in Lionel Jospin's "Plural Left" government, he belongs to the center-left wing of the PS. He sought the nomination in the primaries to the Socialist presidential candidacy for the 2007 election but was defeated by Ségolène Royal in November 2006.

DSK was also a Professor at the National Administration School (ENA), at the Paris Institute for Political Studies ("Sciences Po") and the HEC School of Management.

Contents

[edit] Origins and education

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was born on April 25, 1949 to a Jewish family from mixed Askhenazi and Sephardi origins, in the wealthy Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. He spent part of his childhood in Agadir, Morocco, which he left after the 1960 earthquake to go to Monaco.

He studied economics and political science at Sciences Po and business at Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC). Furthermore, he obtained a degree in public law, as well as a Ph.D and an agrégation in economics.

[edit] Academic career

In 1977, Strauss-Kahn became an economics professor. He taught at the University of Nancy-II (1977-1980), at the University of Nanterre (since 1981) and the École nationale d'administration (ENA) administration school. After a short time teaching at HEC, he became professor at Sciences Po.

In 1971, he worked at the Centre de recherche sur l'épargne (Research Centre on Savings) with Paul Hermelin, his future chief of staff at the Ministry of Industry in 1991, and Denis Kessler, at the time member of the Revolutionary Communist League and future vice-president of the MEDEF employers' union. In 1982, Kessler became his teaching assistant in Nanterre, and co-authored L’Épargne et la Retraite ("Savings and Retirement") with him the same year.

He came back to Sciences Po to teach the introductory economics course from 2000 to 2007.

[edit] Political career

Strauss-Kahn was first an activist member of the Union des Etudiants Communistes (UEC, Union of Communist Students) [1], before joining in the 1970s the Centre d'études, de recherches et d'éducation socialiste (Center on Socialist Education Studies and Research, CERES) led by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, future presidential candidate to the 2002 election [1]. There, he befriended the future French prime minister Lionel Jospin (PS).

After the election of President François Mitterrand (PS) in 1981, he decided to stay out of government to get involved in the Socialist Party (PS), at the time led by Lionel Jospin and founded Socialisme et judaïsme ("Socialism and Judaism"). The next year, he was appointed to the Commissariat au plan (Planning Commission) as commissaire-adjoint.

In 1986 he was elected deputy for the first time in the Haute-Savoie department, and in 1988 in the Val-d'Oise department. He became chairman of the National Assembly Committee on Finances, famously exchanging some heated words with the Finance Minister Pierre Bérégovoy (PS). He met at this time Paul Hermelin, who would become his chief of staff at the Ministry of Industry in 1991.

[edit] Minister for Industry (1991-93)

In 1991, he was nominated by Mitterrand Junior Minister for Industry and Foreign Trade in Édith Cresson's social-democrat government and kept his position in Pierre Bérégovoy's government until the 1993 general elections.

After the electoral defeat of 1993, Strauss-Kahn was appointed by former Prime Minister Michel Rocard chairman of the groupe des experts du PS ("Group of Experts of the Socialist Party"), created by Claude Allègre. The same year, he founded the law firm "DSK Consultants" and worked as a business lawyer.

In 1994, Raymond Lévy, then director of Renault, invited him to join the Cercle de l’Industrie, a French industry lobby in Brussels, where he met the billionary businessman Vincent Bolloré and top manager Louis Schweitzer; Strauss-Kahn served as secretary-general and later as vice-president. This lobbyist activity earned him criticisms by the alter-globalization left.

In June 1995, he was elected mayor of Sarcelles and married Anne Sinclair, a famous television journalist working for the private channel TF1 and in charge of a political show, Sept sur Sept. The latter would cease presenting this show after DSK's nomination as Minister of Economics and Finance in 1997 to avoid interferences, while DSK himself would cede his place as mayor to François Pupponi in order to avoid double functions.

[edit] Minister for Economics, Finances, and Industry (1997-99)

In 1997, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin (PS) appointed Strauss-Kahn as Minister for Economics, Finance, and Industry, making him one of the most influential ministers in his Plural left government.

He implemented a wide privatization program although this was in theory opposed by the Socialist Party's electoral program, which included among others the IPO of France Telecom, and implemented some deregulation policies in the research and development sector. The French economy achieved an excellent performance during his office: the GDP increased, whereas unemployment and public debt decreased (creation of 300,000 jobs in 1998, a level not seen since 1969). This helped to strengthen his popularity as reliable politician and managed to win the support of former supporters of Lionel Jospin and Michel Rocard, making him the leader of the reform-oriented group Socialisme et démocratie. DSK tried to oppose himself to the working time reduction to 35 hours, a measure proposed by Martine Aubry, Minister for Social Policies.

In 1998 he became one of the leader of the Socialist Party for the regional elections in the Ile-de-France region (Paris and suburbs), which were won by the PS. But as DSK refused to exchange his ministry for the executive leadership of the Ile-de-France, Jean-Paul Huchon became the president of the regional council.

In 1999, he was suspected of corruption in two financial scandals related to Elf and the MNEF, a student mutual health insurance, and decided to resign from his minister office, in agreement with the "Balladur jurisprudence." He was replaced by Christian Sautter. He was acquitted in November 2001, and was reelected in a by-election in the Val-d'Oise.

As Minister of Economics and Finance, DSK succeeded in decreasing the VAT to 5.5% for renovation works in construction, thus supporting this activity. At the same time, he decreased the budget deficit, which was of more than 3% under Alain Juppé's conservative government (1995-97). He thus prepared France's entrance in the euro zone. DSK also repealed the Thomas Act on hedge funds and launched the Conseil d'orientation des retraites (Orientation Council on Pensions).

DSK succeeded in federating the followers of Jospin and Rocard in the same political current, Socialisme et démocratie, but failed to make of that current more than an informal network.

[edit] In opposition

After Jacques Chirac's success in the 2002 presidential election and the following Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)'s majority in Parliament, DSK was reelected deputy on June 16, 2002, in the 8th circonscription of the Val-d'Oise. He first declined in taking part in the new direction of the PS, then in the opposition, in the 2003 congress of the party. But he joined again the party's direction at the end of 2004, and was given overall responsibility for drawing up the Socialist programme for the 2007 presidential election, along with Martine Aubry and Jack Lang. During the summer meeting of 2005, he announced that he would be a candidate for the primary elections of the Socialist Party for the presidential election.

At the same time, DSK co-founded the think tank À gauche en Europe (To the Left in Europe) along with Michel Rocard [2]. He co-presides with Jean-Christophe Cambadélis the Socialisme et démocratie current in the PS.

DSK was one of the first French politician to enter the blogosphere [3]; his blog became one of the most visited, along with Juppé's blog during his stay in Quebec [4].

DSK then campaigned for the "Yes" at the referendum on the Project for a Treaty establishing a Constitution in Europe. More than 54% of the French citizens refused it, damaging DSK's position inside the PS while left-wing Laurent Fabius, who had campaigned for the "No", was himself reinforced.

[edit] IMF candidacy

Strauss-Kahn sought the nomination to the Socialist candidacy for the 2007 presidential election. His challengers were former prime minister Laurent Fabius and Ségolène Royal, the president of the Poitou-Charentes region. Strauss-Kahn finished second, behind Royal. On 13 April 2007, DSK called for an "anti-Sarkozy front" between the two rounds of the forthcoming presidential election [5]. Following Ségolène Royal's defeat, DSK criticized the PS' strategy and its chairman, François Hollande [6]. Along with Fabius, he then resigned from the party's national direction in June 2007 [7].

On 10th July 2007, he became the European nominee to be the head of the IMF, supported by all European countries as well as by President Nicolas Sarkozy (member of the conservative UMP party). Former Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka withdrew his candidacy as Poland was opposed by the majority of others European countries [8]. Critics allege that Sarkozy proposed to nominate DSK as managing director of the IMF to deprive the Socialist Party of one of its more popular figures[9].

Strauss-Kahn became the front runner in the race for the presidency of the IMF with the support of the 27-nation European Union, the United States, China and most of Africa. On September 28, 2007, the International Monetary Fund's 24 executive directors selected him as the new managing director. Strauss-Kahn replaces Spain's Rodrigo de Rato. [10] On September 30, 2007, Dominique Strauss-Kahn had been formally named as the new head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The only other nominee was Josef Tosovsky, a late candidate by Russia. Strauss-Kahn said: "I am determined to pursue without delay the reforms needed for the IMF to make financial stability serve the international community, while fostering growth and employment." [11]

[edit] Terms

Presently, from 2002 :

[edit] Works

  • La Flamme et la Cendre, Grasset, 2002 (ISBN 2-01-279122-0)
  • Lettre ouverte aux enfants d’Europe, Grasset, 2004 (ISBN 2-246-68251-7)
  • Inflation et partage des surplus ; le cas des ménages. Cujas, 1975. (avec la coll. d'André Babeau, et André Masson).
  • Économie de la famille et accumulation patrimoniale. Cujas. 1977.
  • La Richesse des Français- Epargne, Plus-value/Héritage. (avec la coll. d'André Babeau). Paris: PUF, 1977. Collection « L'économiste » dirigée par Pierre Tabatoni. Enquête sur la fortune des Français.
  • Pierre Bérégovoy : une volonté de réforme au service de l'économie 1984-1993. Cheff, 2000. (avec la coll. de Christian Sautter)
  • Pour l'égalité réelle: Eléments pour un réformisme radical, Note de la Fondation Jean Jaurès 2004
  • DVD pour le Oui à la constitution, 2005
  • 365 jours, journal contre le renoncement, Grasset 2006

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b David Revault d'Allones, "Le PS donne au monde un grand argentier" in Libération, 29 September 2007 (French) (read on-line
  2. ^ Website of A gauche en Europe
  3. ^ blogdsk.net Le blog de Dominique Strauss-Kahn
  4. ^ « Les politiques aussi », Le Figaro, 10 August 2006 (French)
  5. ^ A Look behind the Operation for an Alliance of the Center, L'Humanité 17 April 2007 (English) (French version)
  6. ^ The Hardline Right Moves into the Élysee Palace - Sarkozy Wins the French Presidential Election, L'Humanité 7 May 2007 (English) (French version)
  7. ^ Le piège à éléphants, L'Humanité, 29 June 2007 (French)
  8. ^ FMI : Strauss-Kahn candidat officiel de l’Union européenne, Le Figaro, 10 July 2007 (French)
  9. ^ Reuters, "France's Sarkozy wants Strauss-Kahn as IMF head" Sat Jul 7, 2007 2:38PM EDT read here (English)
  10. ^ Yahoo.com, IMF to choose new director
  11. ^ BBC NEWS, Frenchman is named new IMF chief

[edit] External links

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National Assembly of France
Preceded by
Yves Sautier		 Deputy for Haute-Savoie
1986 – 1988		 Succeeded by
Michel Meylan
Preceded by
?		 Deputy for Val-d'Oise
1988 – 1991		 Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
?		 Deputy for Val-d'Oise, 8th circonscription
2001 – present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Roger Fauroux		 Minister for Industry and Foreign Trade of France
1991 – 1993		 Succeeded by
Gérard Longuet
Preceded by
Raymond Lamontagne		 Mayor of Sarcelles
1995 – 1997		 Succeeded by
François Pupponi
Preceded by
Jean Arthuis		 Minister for Economics, Finance, and Industry of France
1997 – 1999		 Succeeded by
Christian Sautter
Business positions
Preceded by
Rodrigo Rato		 Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
2007 – present		 Incumbent