“Pyongyang” on The Daily Caller

North Korea is to seize five properties owned by South Korea at the Mount Kumgang tourist resort, say reports. (more)

The cause of Friday’s [intlink id="696733" type="post"]sinking of the South Korean naval corvette [/intlink]Cheonan remains unclear. But the ship’s location 10 miles from the North Korean coast when it sank makes the Pyongyang regime a prime suspect. Whether or not responsibility for the deaths of 46 sailors lies with the North Korean government, the potential for it serves as a reminder of the extreme dangers of that regime and the need for firm policies to bring security to the region. Unfortunately, the Obama administration is likely to continue a cycle of bad policy by the U.S. and North Korea’s neighbors. (more)

Hawaii congressional candidate Charles K. Djou, who aims to become his state’s second Republican ever to serve in the House, says that despite all the tough talk on Iran, the real threat to the country comes from “the nutcase in Pyongyang.” (more)

VANCOUVER—Yesterday I went downtown to the Robson Square Celebration Site (Is that like Berkeley’s free-speech zone such that you can’t celebrate anywhere else?) to see if I could pick up a hockey ticket. I love using scalpers: no waiting in line at the official box office, no Ticketmaster “service” charge, nothing but negotiating price mano-a-mano. I’m not sure how legal it is here—government does try to stamp out economic intercourse between consenting adults—but dozens of them are out in the open wearing laminated signs, so I assume they’re at least tolerated. Good for Vancouver: Scalpers make the ticket marketplace go round, ensuring efficient pricing and distribution. (more)

North Korea has informed the United States it is holding a second U.S. citizen, the State Department said on Friday. (more)

Abstract: Russia‘s interests in Iran fundamentally diverge from those of the United States. Russia considers Iran a partner and de facto ally in its plans to reshape the power balance in the Middle East and dilute U.S. influence in the region. The U.S. should expect only token assistance from Russia in countering the Iranian nuclear threat. Instead, the U.S. needs to develop a broader policy that convincingly argues that Iran will lose–even if it obtains nuclear weapons and that clearly demonstrates to the Russians that the risks of betting on Iran outweigh the potential rewards. (more)

Eight years ago, George W. Bush said that “we will not allow the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most dangerous weapons.”  Unfortunately, less than a decade later, that scenario is becoming reality.  Nuclear threats have drawn steadily nearer and Washington’s polices to counter them have failed.  North Korea has a nuclear capability and Iran seems close to one.  The current and prior two administrations share blame, but President Obama is making matters worse with his profound weakness and unrealistic talk of nuclear abolition.  Without change, the U.S. will spend the 2010s reeling from these expanding threats. (more)