The IMF needs a European leader

The nationality of the managing director of the International Monetary Fund IMF shouldn’t matter, but clearly it does.

Now that Dominique Strauss-Kahn has stepped down after his arrest last weekend for the alleged sexual assault of a maid in a New York hotel, it is important that his replacement can drive initiatives towards a resolution of the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, gain the confidence of capital markets and maintain the goodwill of key political players.

There is no shortage of credible candidates with administrative experience, political savvy and economic literacy, or who can boast of a reasonable degree of domestic or international achievement to fill out...