With the fourth test now behind us, the next question becomes: How should the international community react to the event?

No one apart from the representatives of the North Korean and South Korean governments who took part in the marathon talks over the weekend of August 22 can know exactly what took place. But there is some inevitable spin regarding who came away the “winner.”

Short conversations about North Korea generally end with similar conclusions, while longer conversations reveal fault lines among experts.

Two separate but related events this week highlight that there is something new going on regarding North Korea, specifically regarding the North Korean human rights situation.

For Korea watchers, the Global Peace Index provides specific statistical informal for each of the 162 countries it surveys, including North Korea and South Korea.

The Magna Carta continues to have relevance after 800 years, as an embodiment of the principle of rule of law, and as an inspiration to supporters of constitutionalism and defenders of human rights.