Radical changes are taking place in North Korea. It’s been seven months since the state commissioned new leader Kim Jong-Un, and now the Supreme Leader is challenging military control, exposing the Kim family to the public, and reassessing North Korea’s economic strategy and its approach to external cultural influences. We may be seeing the beginnings of a more open North Korea comparable to late 1970s China.

From Robert M. Farley, the Global Times:  Over the past decade, NATO has increasingly stepped outside of its traditional regional boundaries and begun operating in far flung corners of the world.

From Jorge Benitez, the Global Times:  There are many misperceptions that NATO partnerships are a precursor to NATO expansion into other regions and the addition of new members to NATO from Asia or the Middle East. This is not true.

From Simon Serfaty, the Hoover Institution:  The trip into a new, post-Western order will be more chaotic if the West loses its assurance and cohesion.

From Joseph S. Nye, Project Syndicate:  Obama’s rhetoric during his 2008 campaign and the first months of his presidency was both inspirational in style and transformational in objective.

From Patryk Pawlak and Eleni Ekmektsioglou, the Diplomat:  The joint statement touches upon several important issues for the region’s stability: North Korea’s denuclearization, democratization in Burma, territorial claims in the South China Sea, and human rights.

From the Department of State:  Secretary Clinton and High Representative Ashton noted that interdependence between Asia, the United States and the European Union has reached unprecedented levels.

From NATO:  NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow praised the Republic of Korea’s valuable contribution to global security in talks with a high-level delegation from the country’s National Assembly on Tuesday (7 August 2012).

From Condoleezza Rice, the Financial Times:  If Americans want the tectonic plates of the international system to settle in a way that makes the world safer, freer and more prosperous, the US must overcome its reluctance to lead.

From Colin Robertson, the Ottowa Citizen:  Vancouver is the busiest port in Canada and we are making improvements to this vital gateway as well as to Prince Rupert.