France's sexual revolution

Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s infamous "perp walk" sent shockwaves throughout France. The result seemed at first to be a foregone conclusion, but the latest news from New York in this sensational tale is that the case against him is close to collapse. As talk now turns to the prospects of an incredible political comeback, what does this all mean for the French left’s enfant terrible, for next year’s presidential elections and, indeed, for French political culture?

Strauss-Kahn is not used to negative attention. Until recently he was considered a political heavyweight with a unifying appeal, but he is now a divisive figure. Although polls differ, around half of the French public would like to see him make a comeback, while just under half would prefer him to stay away. An incredible 60 per cent of Socialists want him back, and the majority of the public think he has been the victim of a nefarious plot. Commentators have pointed the finger at the Americans, the Germans and even the Russians; many have neglected even considering the culpability of the man himself.

Strauss Kahn’s re-entry into mainstream French politics is not straightforward. Many of his backers have already thrown their support behind other Socialist candidates. Nevertheless, he might seek solace in the rich history of rehabilitation in French public life. Alain Juppé, the current minister for foreign affairs (and former prime minister), was convicted of mishandling public funds in 2004 and spent a couple of years in political purgatory before returning as a minister in Sarkozy’s "rainbow government" of 2007. Laurent Fabius was tainted by the HIV blood transfusions scandal in the 1990s before being acquitted and returning as a leading figure in the successful No campaign during the referendum on the European Constitution in 2005. Of course, rape is a serious allegation, but a dramatic return to politics is by no means off the cards should Strauss-Kahn be acquitted.

But—and here is the real story in this whole affair—if he does return, it will be to a different France. The case received so much publicity it became the spectacle of a culture talking about itself. It became a discussion of principles, values and priorities. It flushed out double standards, lazy assumptions and offensive prejudices into the cold, hard light of public scrutiny.

Over the last two months, France has seen a revolt against the alpha-male, macho-womaniser culture that permeates the political sphere. French feminists have reacted with particular anger to the comments of a number of high-profile French commentators. The columnist Jean-Francois Kahn said the allegations amounted to no more than a troussage de domestique, evoking the archaic image of an aristocrat forcing himself on a servant. Popular philosopher Bernard Henri-Lévi penned a passionate defense of a man “thrown to the dogs.” Socialist MEP Gilles Savary made reference to the “pleasures of the flesh” and put the whole thing down to a misunderstanding between the “libertine” figure of Strauss-Kahn and puritan America.

Whatever the verdict, these defences of Strauss-Kahn—portraying him as an almost romantic, tragic hero—have been dismissed, rightly, as outrageous. Last week, feminist activists demonstrated in Paris. A petition “disgusted by the daily outpouring of misogynist comments by public figures” has received thousands of endorsements. And the groundswell continues to rise. The lifting of parliamentary immunity from Georges Tron, the former civil service minister, is a case in point. Tron, forced to resign by President Sarkozy over allegations of sexual assault, has now been charged with rape and sexual assault in a case that has been undoubtedly influenced by the Strauss-Kahn affair. The sharp increase in calls to rape crisis centres after his arrest would seem to indicate that the taboo surrounding sexual violence has been partially broken.

The kind of schmoozing alpha male that Strauss-Kahn represents is being increasingly delegitimised as an acceptable public persona in France. If the road from the jailhouse does indeed lead to the Elysée Palace for Strauss-Kahn at some point in the future, it will also have to be a road of reform. The French politician is an adaptable creature, and Strauss-Kahn will have to prove as adept in changing his spots as the best of them. But if the affair does indeed bring about an overhaul of French political culture, l’Hexagon as a whole will emerge the stronger for it.