To our left, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, challenger. To our right, Nicolas Sarkozy, defending champion. A priori, everything separates them: the style, the course, the network. Since 2007 the two men have been measuring each other, the first from Washington, where he was appointed head of the IMF, the second from the Élysée. But this period of non-aggression is now well and truly over. The incredible opportunity of having to manage the global financial crisis has put DSK back at the center of the game for the next presidential election. He is the French politician who is seen the most on the international scene and whose qualities many heads of state praise. The authors affirm, on the basis of specific elements, that the clash between Strauss-Kahn and Sarkozy will take place in 2012.