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IMF chief Strauss-Kahn caught in "Honey Trap"

category international | anti-capitalism | other press author Wednesday May 18, 2011 21:59author by T Report this post to the editors

Strauss-Kahn simply had to be eliminated.

Two recent articles make the strong case that IMF chief Strauss-Kahn has been caught up in a palace coup as it were from the extremist side of the IMF.

While it is easy to hate the IMF and row in with the corporate media and pronounce him guilty we have got to remember to step back from this story and examine the context. What is also interesting is the way that this is the same media that so eagerly brought us the Afghan War, Iraq war, bailout of the rich and austerity and impoverishment for the rest of us, here they are now attacking one of the key figures in this global institute. It is all rather strange

So it is best to put some context around who is Strauss-Kahn and what is the signficance of his arrest.

Strauss-Kahn is a member of the Socialist Party in France. He was their front running candidate for the presidency of France and he was well ahead of Sarkozy in the polls and could very easily have been the next president of France.

So what is an apparent socialist doing in a right wing organisation that is a key part of the spearhead of worldwide financial imperialism? Well many ostensibly Left wing parties have sold out to the right (think Labour party in UK and Ireland) and Strauss-Kahn had a successful career in Left politics and wound up in this job and whether he was useful to the right because he could carry the Left along with the right wing economic agenda or perhaps he even believed he could make a difference. A comprehensive account of his career is reported here on WSWS ( http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/imfc-m16.shtml )

Before moving onto the key aspects of Strauss-Kahn's time at the IMF, clearly if he is guilty then he should face justice, but in recent years we are so used to seeing secret renditions and orange jumpsuits, execution by drone and trial by media that the key cultural thing that separates us from elements of the barbaric past is the concept of innocent until proven guilty. The crimes of the IMF over the past few decades of largely destroying the Third World and many other places and basically asset stripping them of resources is another matter but which should remain firmly in the spot light. We ought to recognise that the rise of the megaslums throughout the world went hand in hand with the switch from to financial imperialism which really got going in the 1970s onwards and we have to consider how many millions of women and children have been sold into prostitution and other slave like conditions because of the terrible poverty caused by institutions like the IMF and World Bank.

Returning now to the story, here are some quotes from the article by Mike Whitney in IMF chief Strauss-Kahn caught in "Honey Trap" at http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28103.htm

Strauss-Kahn had enemies in high places, too, which is why this whole matter stinks to high-Heaven. First of all, Strauss-Kahn was the likely candidate of the French Socialist Party who would have faced Sarkozy in the upcoming presidential elections. The IMF chief clearly had a leg-up on Sarkozy who has been battered by a number of personal scandals and plunging approval ratings.

But if Strauss-Kahn was set up, then it was probably by members of the western bank coalition, that shadowy group of self-serving swine whose policies have kept the greater body of humanity in varying state of poverty and desperation for the last two centuries. Strauss-Kahn had recently broke-free from the "party line" and was changing the direction of the IMF. His road to Damascus conversion was championed by progressive economist Joesph Stiglitz in a recent article titled "The IMF's Switch in Time". Here's an excerpt:

"The annual spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund was notable in marking the Fund’s effort to distance itself from its own long-standing tenets on capital controls and labor-market flexibility. It appears that a new IMF has gradually, and cautiously, emerged under the leadership of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. ........

That push had been advocated by Western financial markets – and the Western finance ministries that serve them so loyally. Financial deregulation in the United States was a prime cause of the global crisis that erupted in 2008, and financial and capital-market liberalization elsewhere helped spread that “made in the USA” trauma around the world....The crisis showed that free and unfettered markets are neither efficient nor stable." ("The IMF's Switch in Time", Joseph Stiglitz, Project Syndicate)

So, Strauss-Kahn was trying to move the bank in a more positive direction, a direction that didn't require that countries leave their economies open to the ravages of foreign capital that moves in swiftly--pushing up prices and creating bubbles--and departs just as fast, leaving behind the scourge of high unemployment, plunging demand, hobbled industries, and deep recession.

Strauss-Kahn had set out on a "kinder and gentler" path, one that would not force foreign leaders to privatize their state-owned industries or crush their labor unions. Naturally, his actions were not warmly received by the bankers and corporatists who look to the IMF to provide legitimacy to their ongoing plunder of the rest of the world. These are the people who think that the current policies are "just fine" because they produce the results they're looking for, which is bigger profits for themselves and deeper poverty for everyone else.

So for those who oppose capitalism a kinder gentler one is only slightly better and just allows it to live longer and for those who somehow still believe in it or some kind of hybrid then a kinder gentler capitalism surely is what you want.

And continuing with further quotes from the above story: Here's Stiglitz again, this time imparting the "kiss of death" to his friend Strauss-Kahn:

"Strauss-Kahn is proving himself a sagacious leader of the IMF.... As Strauss-Kahn concluded in his speech to the Brookings Institution shortly before the Fund’s recent meeting: “Ultimately, employment and equity are building blocks of economic stability and prosperity, of political stability and peace. This goes to the heart of the IMF’s mandate. It must be placed at the heart of the policy agenda.”

Right. So, now the IMF is going to be an agent for the redistribution of wealth.... (for) "strengthening collective bargaining, restructuring mortgages, restructuring tax and spending policies to stimulate the economy now through long-term investments, and implementing social policies that ensure opportunity for all"? (according to Stiglitz)

Good luck with that.

Can you imagine how much this kind of talk pisses off the Big Money guys? How long do you think they'd put up with this claptrap before they decided that Strauss-Kahn needed to take a permanent vacation?

Not long, I'd wager.

The full story can be viewed at: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28103.htm

In yet another story by Paul Craig Roberts titled The Amerikan Police State Strides Forward, he comes to the same conclusions as Whitney and writes:

The International Monetary Fund’s director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was arrested last Sunday in New York City on the allegation of an immigrant hotel maid that he attempted to rape her in his hotel room. A New York judge has denied Strauss-Kahn bail on the grounds that he might flee to France.

President Bill Clinton survived his sexual escapades, because he was a servant to the system, not a threat. But Strauss-Kahn, like former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, was a threat to the system, and, like Eliot Spitzer, Strass-Kahn has been deleted from the power ranks.

Strauss-Kahn was the first IMF director in my lifetime, if memory serves, who disavowed the traditional IMF policy of imposing on the poor and ordinary people the cost of bailing out Wall Street and the Western banks. Strauss-Kahn said that regulation had to be reimposed on the greed-driven, fraud-prone financial sector, which, unregulated, destroyed the lives of ordinary people. Strauss-Kahn listened to Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz, one of a handful of economists who has a social conscience.

Perhaps the most dangerous black mark in Strauss-Kahn’s book is that he was far ahead of America’s French puppet, President Sarkozy, in the upcoming French elections. Strauss-Kahn simply had to be eliminated.

The full story can be found at: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28122.htm

There will be many still not convinced but you have to consider that this whole episode does not add up. Why does somone like this at the very top of probably one of the most powerful institutes in the world suddenly end up in jail? Compare this with all the dictators, mass murderers, war mongers. Or how many from the financial crisis ended up in jail beside Maddoff (in the US) who literally put his hand up and turned himself in. It is too simple to fall in behind the media and let the anger of IMF and EU bailouts be focused on this one figure. We all know there is no real justice in the world especially in global affairs, so it is extemely odd and unlikely that it is happening here.

Related Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28103.htm
author by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite partypublication date Thu May 19, 2011 15:02author address author phone Report this post to the editors

First thing struck me was how someone as canny as this guy would let himself be suckered.
It was morning, so he was probably sober. He was already booked to fly out. Staying in a $3k per NIGHT room over Time Square, where he'd only have to wave a dollar out the window to get his choice of therapy. In fact hot and cold running totty would be room-service downtown manhattan. The bellhop would have provided a house-menu and delivered whatever he requested for a nominal tip.

I'd suspect his potential threat to Sarkozy, who is currently co-operating with the former Suez abettors of brutannia and israel in the Libyan rerun gig, and has been deeply embedded with Isarel long-term(Cameron is also a favourite in tel Aviv)may have triggered a little pre-emptive come-on invite.

Maybe he was stupid enough and animal enough to initiate the act, but it would not be the first honey-trap sting for either Mossad or MI6, nor their first collaboration(thats how vanunu got suckered, but he was a bit of an innocent when it came to what he was taking on).

author by Marcus McSpartacuspublication date Thu May 19, 2011 17:44author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The idea that this was some sort of set-up/selective policing exercised by the US or some IMF faction occurred to me too. My thoughts were: "could someone in his position really be that stupid?"

However (and please insert "allegedly" liberally here):

- The guy is a bona fide S.O.B. when it comes to women - way beyond being a "seducer"; this is not the first time he has pulled a stunt like this, nor the first that his wealthy wife has bailed him out;

- Yes, it actually is possible for someone in his position to be that arrogant, that insulated, that wrapped up in a bubble to think he can get away with this; they become high on the power trip; these fellows (think Goldman Sachs etc.) can really start thinking that they are Masters of the Universe; especially if he has gotten away with it before; remember - this is a socialist staying in a $3,500 a night hotel...

- This is New York City ("Noo Yawk") and the NYPD we are dealing with; the same city and police force that gave a medal to a police officer who broke the arm of a Ukrainian diplomat who was trying to get into and drive his car completely drunk, prompting outrage from the US State Department (US Dept. of Foreign Affairs) and their comment that "apparently, New York has its own foreign policy" (it was about a week before a Belorussian diplomat mowed down an 11 year old in Washington DC, which presumably prompted the medal part, and the dropping of outrage from the State Department). The prosecutor involved in this case has made a name/career for himself by going after people who stomp on the little guy (or girl, in this case), and remember that in the US, things like judges are elected - so this is a real career enhancing move. Nobody is necessarily pulling the NY City strings.

Sometimes, bad things happen to bad people.

author by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite partypublication date Fri May 20, 2011 14:13author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Sometimes the apparent is the actuality. Howandever, this little piece shows just how incestuous the political/economic/personal bonds(there's that dirty word again)can be.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24866

It makes no mention of Sarkozy's kozy relations with Zion, and that Mossad would not be happy to see such an unbroken asset fixed at the next election.

As stated cameron is also considered suitably kosher. as are our fresh FG/Labour more compatible than the last shower of dodgers.

author by johnnystarryskypublication date Sat May 21, 2011 12:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

it is always hard to know what is really going on with these figures. but recently it has come out that the rotchschild family and the rockefellers have entered into a feud with each other (david wilcox from a trusted insider). and this could be a key to the arrest of strauss kahn. he is associated with the rothschilds......nobody knows what is really going on....beware of dead certainties on subjects that you cannot be dead certain about!

author by Claude.publication date Sat May 21, 2011 14:46author address author phone Report this post to the editors

He had a reputation in France already.

author by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite partypublication date Sat May 21, 2011 16:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

have a gander at this, and prepare for those who say 'It cant happen here'.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24856

author by Serfpublication date Sat May 21, 2011 20:20author address author phone Report this post to the editors

this article may be more on topic
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24867

was DSK trying to usurp the dollar as reserve currency?. This article also mentions the Irish situation and how Geitner torpedoed DSK's attempt to save Ireland.

He tried to help us.

Also, he was advocating redistribution of wealth to banksters. Was he mad??. He's probably lucky he didn't eat a bullet with talk like that!!

DSK was getting troublesome so they used his weakness for women to "dispose of him"

author by platonic chappublication date Sun May 22, 2011 03:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The old human story of money, power and sexual conquest has been playing itself out again. It is a stoy of greed, arrogance and male domination over female chattels.

author by SpecialReservepublication date Sun May 22, 2011 04:08author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Funny. Gadaffi was also advocating a move from the dollar as reserve currency to the non fiat currency, the gold dinar. And gadaffi had reasonable gold reserves to back this so it wasn't idle chit chat..

Sadaam Hussein changed his account to register that each barrel of oil sold by Iraq would now be in euro even though it would initially mean a loss for Iraq. The euro surged, then Iraq was invaded shortly therafter.

Iran was also murmuring about this too. As was kim jong il. Guess which countries were considered the axis of evil?? Yep! You guessed it. Coincidence? You tell me.

Venezuela also was trying to get OPEC countries to consider this change. Interesting the recent re-activation of the fourth fleet off the coast of Venezuela and the building of bases in Columbia. Chavez's days are numbered too.

America would collapse overnight if the reserve currency changed to something else. It would mean they would actually have to pay for things as opposed to just printing funny money.

They won't allow it to happen as long as they have "full spectrum dominance". And anyone who tries to rock the reserve currency boat will likely get into serious trouble.

author by V for vendettapublication date Sun May 22, 2011 07:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Speaking of the reserve currency and oil, that whole topic is dealt with in an amusing fashion here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-52676408657418...8159#

but watch the whole thing. its funny!

author by susanpublication date Tue May 24, 2011 13:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

and I'm sure you are mostly all lads, what's so difficult about believing that that a rich, powerful, white male engaged in an act of sexual violence and oppression against a low paid, immigrant, African single mother who was employed to look after his hotel housekeeping needs?
Any woman, and it usually is women, who ever worked as a hotel maid, will be well aware of the penchant for male guests to prance around naked, wave their wrinkled willies and masturbate in front of them, grope, make lewd remarks, and much worse.
Just because DSK was (allegedly) fractionally to the left of the IMF establishment hegemony, does not convert a grubby sexual assault into a set-up or a conspiracy. trying to do so only adds credence to the ubiquituous meme that, somehow, always, it's really the woman's fault. Cos, deep down, you really do believe that don't you? Of course you can't admit that so it must be a big new world order type conspiralunacy with mossadad, sarkozy, zionists, CIA, petrodollars and all that put her up to it. Probably Jim Corr couldn't make it up. Or maybe he could.

author by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite partypublication date Tue May 24, 2011 15:29author address author phone Report this post to the editors

But I dont think anyone defended the accused. Just pointed out a few of the background interests and features. I doubt anyone sees him as anything other than a bit of a slime(it would almost seem a necessary state to reach such heights on the pecking pyramid).He has lots of form, and what you say about exploitation of poor, disadvantaged women is undeniable, except to the wilfully ignorant. Kids face the same exploits. As can men, though nothing like as often. And it doesn't usually involve the sexual dimension.
Besides, Sarko already had evidence of him with prostitutes lined up for the election kick-off.
You seem to have more experience of hotel work than I have, but I'm sure the behaviour you describe happens. But how often? Are we 'lads' really such a bunch of consistent yobs as you paint? And guilty or not, is he not entitled to some doubt, at least until convicted?Or are we ALL guilty as suspected in your apparently gender-fixated eye?

Nor did ANYONE(other than yerself) point towards the woman in question as the possible premeditating instigator. At most she was put forward as a possible honey-trap tool of other interests. Or do you think we should ignore the interests and networks behind the equally questionable Sarkozy?He's currently(along with Cameron, another Tel Aviv favourite) fighting a proxy war for Israel/US by re-running the Suez strike for the Zionist/Euro-imperial agenda of 1956. They may need him for the long-planned(as with Iraq)Iran hit. Better the tested and proven rat than the unknown quantity.
Israel would not like either of these 'lads' to go down at an election. Any more than NATO(Washington's velvet glove) would like to lose its Fort Zion in the wild east.

And if you think DSK is an automatic for lock-up, Bibi makes him look cherubic.

As I wrote, sometimes the apparent IS the actuality, but its no harm to retain a little peripheral vision. It would have helped Vanunu stay out of the clutches. Or was she also the vulnerable party?

author by Serfpublication date Wed May 25, 2011 02:56author address author phone Report this post to the editors

we all know DSK was a womaniser. No doubt he's probably done things like this before. The point is not that DSK isn't a lecherous slimebag while off duty. He obviously was.

The point is why he's gotten away with it for so long then suddenly....front page news, high profile arrest. Something changed and his enemies decided to no longer turn a blind eye to his activities and set the dogs on him.

When you are onside with the elites, you can get away with anything. Even mass murder it seems. However, when you are no longer on the team, all elite protection is lost and you get thrown to the dogs.

The fact is the powers that be don't really give 2 shits about the sexual travails of disadvantaged coloured women from third world countries. If they did they might actually do some real work to stop the whole evil female sex trafficking business. But suddenly when they want to take down somebody giving them problems then whoosh! suddenly one poor coloured woman's sexual molestation becomes (literally) the most important thing in the world.

Next week thousands of such women will silently undergo nightmarish sexual abuse all around the world for want of a proper concerted crackdown on human trafficking. All without a murmur from the world press.

Meanwhile they will spend endless column inches on football and celebrity minutae. Isn't this all the least bit suspicious??

author by Mpublication date Fri Jul 01, 2011 13:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The sexual assault case against former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is near collapse, the New York Times has reported, raising the prospect of his release - possibly as early as today.

Mr Strauss-Kahn (62), a leading candidate for the French presidency before he was arrested on May 14th, may now be released on his own recognisance and freed from house arrest at a court hearing at 4.30pm (Irish time).

A source familiar with the case said the credibility of the maid who accused him has come into question.

"The credibility is in question," the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

The New York Times said prosecutors had met with Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyers yesterday and the parties were discussing whether to dismiss the felony charges.

Mr Strauss-Kahn's defence attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said earlier that their client would go back to court in New York today at 11.30am before Judge Michael Obus to seek changes to his bail conditions.

"Indeed, Mr Strauss-Kahn could be released on his own recognisnce, and freed from house arrest, reflecting the likelihood that the serious criminal charges against him will not be sustained," the paper said. "The district attorney's office may try to require Mr Strauss-Kahn to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, but his lawyers are likely to contest such a move."

The New York Times quoted what it said were two well-placed law enforcement officials as saying that although forensic evidence showed there had been a sexual encounter between the French politician and the maid, the accuser had repeatedly lied.

It said that prosecutors had discovered issues involving the asylum application of the 32-year-old housekeeper, who is Guinean, and possible links to criminal activities, including drug dealing and money laundering.

The paper added that prosecutors' investigators had discovered that the woman had had a phone conversation with an incarcerated man within a day of her encounter with Mr Strauss-Kahn in which she discussed the possible benefits of pursuing the charges against him. The conversation was recorded.

It added that the man, who had been arrested on charges of possessing 180kg of marijuana, was among a number of individuals who had made multiple cash deposits, totaling around $100,000, into the woman's bank account over the last two years.

Related Link: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0701/breaking3.html
author by opus diablos - the regressive hypocrite partypublication date Fri Jul 01, 2011 14:59author address author phone Report this post to the editors

..for Sarko.

Cui bono?and him just happening to be involved in little north African housekeeping in Libya for his Zionist buddies as it transpires.

Backscratching, anyone?

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