Royal Navy – The Royal Navy’s most senior officer has given warning that Britain does not have enough ships to secure the country’s sea lanes from terrorist attack.

• Daily Telegraph: Navy chief has ‘too few ships to guard sea lanes from terrorists’

Background – North Korea – A discussion of the unparalleled cult of personality around North Koreaís President, Kim Jong Il, and the threat that the country poses to international peace.

• The New Yorker: Armies of the North

Background – Naval History – An excellent history of piracy on the high seas.

• The Atlantic: Pirates of the Atlantic