long led the IMF, countries such as China and India are considering nominating one of their own for the top spot. That could also have wide ramifications for the organization, whose emerging market members have complained that it shows more generous treatment toward European countries than those in the developing world.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, was charged early Sunday in New York with attempted rape, a criminal sex act and unlawful imprisonment. Authorities allege that he attempted to rape a housekeeper at the Sofitel in Midtown Manhattan where he was staying; police said she later picked him out of a lineup. He planned to plead not guilty, according to his attorney, Benjamin Brafman, who has defended a number of high-profile clients.

Strauss-Kahn appeared Monday before a New York judge, who ordered himbailing out ailing European economies even as he has faced considerable resistance in France, where his prescription for severe government spending cuts often has proved deeply unpopular. Still, he has banked on longtime relationships with leading European economic leaders — even his political rival Sarkozy — to help stabilize Europe’s finances.

The arrest of Strauss-Kahn is likely to have ripple effects beyond the United States and Europe.

He has had a hand in the financial rescue of Pakistan and in helping Egypt keep its economy on solid footing amid political upheaval.

In the face of the global economic crisis that began in 2008, Strauss-Kahn persuaded rich countries such as the United States to dramatically increase their funding commitments to the IMF, enabling the organization to take on a far more ambitious