This article is from the archive of our partner .
The resignation of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has spurred an international race for the institution's next managing director. Europe, with its looming debt crisis, and Asia, with its emerging economies, have a strong interest in the outcome. And already, leaders from various countries are hauling out campaign-style talking points about what makes a great IMF leader and why their candidate fits that criterion. Here's the menu of desired qualifications being thrown around:
'Ability, Morality and Diligence' With the middle qualification a clear dig on Strauss-Kahn's promiscuity, Zhou Xiaochuan, the head of the People's Bank of China, argued in a blog post yesterday that these were the qualities necessary for a leader who can ensure vigorous and stable growth in the world economy. "This would be conducive to having an International Monetary Fund managing director who can more effectively lead it."
A woman--since they're less likely to be accused of trying to rape hotel maids? An odd, yet sincerely posited declaration from former IMF economist and Harvard professor Kenneth Rogoff. "What's happened with Strauss-Kahn underscores how great it would be to have a woman in the role," he said an interview with The New York Times.