The French must watch too much American TV.
An estimated 60 percent of the nation believes that IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was set up, and that allegations he sexually assaulted a chambermaid were all part of a vast conspiracy to bring down his candidacy for president, according to a poll released yesterday.
“This poll exposes how the French are in denial over the scandal,” Jerome Sainte-Marie, of the research group CSA, told The Times of London. “They do not want to believe it. That’s interesting from the point of view of the collective psychology,” he said.
In one popular conspiracy theory, many believe the United States, in concert with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, worked to bring down the head of the International Monetary Fund head.
“In some quarters, the question of what is wrong with Strauss-Kahn has almost been replaced by what is wrong with the United States,” said Dominique Moisi, of the French International Relations Institute.