Berlusconi better behave whenever he goes to US as Europe debates on IMF chief Strauss-Khan Vary

The Wall Street Journal reports that varied responses across Europe this week to the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn highlight deeply rooted differences in how countries view the case and how they have dealt with sexual transgressions by their leaders over the years.

In Italy, where for years Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has regularly made sexual innuendoes and jokes, the premier's recent trial on charges of paying an underage girl for sex—charges he denies—has prompted women's groups to protest what they call the male establishment's demeaning attitude toward women. Comparisons between Mr. Strauss-Kahn's case and Mr. Berlusconi's trial abound, with editorialists widely commending the U.S. justice system's thus-far swift handling of the case. "Public opinion has become less tolerant of such behavior," said Italian sociologist Domenico De Masi.

In countries to the north, there has been more criticism of what many see as America's excessively media-friendly and trigger-happy judicial process. U.S. use of the death penalty is a topic followed closely in countries such as Germany and France, where capital punishment is illegal and often described as barbaric.

EU-Digest

For more: In Europe, Strauss-Kahn Views Vary - WSJ.com