What the world is reading

Referring to Dominique Strauss-Kahns case,Alan M Dershowitz writes that there are a lot of lessons in the case about how rape investigations and prosecutions should be conducted.

The Daily Beast
Trouble with rape prosecutions

Referring to Dominique Strauss-Kahns case,Alan M Dershowitz writes that there are a lot of lessons in the case about how rape investigations and prosecutions should be conducted. The most important is,dont assume anything until all the evidence is in. Everyone should have anticipated the possibility that evidence would emerge suggesting that the alleged victim might be in it for money,and might have her share of skeletons in the closet. Dershowitz makes an interesting point when he says the press was wrong not to publish the names of alleged rape victims. It is critical that rape be treated like any other crime of violence and the names of the alleged victims be published so that people who know the victim can come forward to provide relevant information.

The Washington Times
Israel is the solution,not the problem

Talking about the Arab spring and the recent Middle East turmoil,Einat Wilf writes the popular unrest that has shaken dictatorships throughout the Middle East has put to rest the fallacy that Israel is the root cause of Arab anger and the source of the regions problems. Not only is Israel not the problem in the Middle East,it is the solution. If the appetite for freedom in the Arab world is to be satisfied and the dream of regional peace ultimately realised,Israel would be better viewed as a model to be emulated,not vilified.

Khaleej Times
Crazy circus in New York

Crazy things happen in New York,but the latest bizarre twist in the case of Dominique Strauss takes the cake, writes Eric S Margolis. It was discovered on Friday that the hotel housekeeper who had accused DSK of raping her had lied about being raped to get into the US,about her tax returns and on numerous other issues. This incredible circus puts the US justice system on trial before the eyes of the world. The judicial near lynching of DSK humiliated France, writes Margolis. With DSK expected to win Frances next year presidential election,his arrest shocked and horrified France.

Time
Will Yingluck heal a divided nation?

Yingluck Shinawatra has been elected Thailands first woman prime minister. The question now is,can a novice prime minister succeed where several veterans have failed and end the political strife that has torn Thailand apart for nearly seven years? The hardest issue and one that is central to reconciliation effortswill be a possible amnesty Yingluck initially proposed for anyone charged or convicted of political crimes since the 2006 coup. But an amnesty would include her brother Thaksin who was convicted of corruption and fled in 2008 rather than serve a two-year prison sentence, Robert Horn mentions. She had initially promised the amnesty but backtracked when opponents claimed her candidacy was solely intended to whitewash her brothers convictions and return his money. In her speech Sunday night,her promises included free tablet computers for one million schoolchildren,and paying farmers 500 per tonne of rice. But her success or failure as a PM will rest less on her policies than on whether or not she can keep a sharply divided Thailand stable and at peace with itself, says Horn.