The CIA has declassified its map archive!

The CIA's Cartography Center has released roughly 130 maps from its archive. Go here for a news piece and here for the collection, which includes some 200 images as well. It isn't clear from the release (on Flickr) just what the criteria were, but it's safe to say that hundreds remain hidden in CIA-only custody. (It's a little confusing, but this link also takes you to what appears to be the map and imagery collection.)

Great piece on Turkey's recent use of maps to support rising irredentism

Go here for the article.

38North blog: Everything you wanted to know about North Korea

North Korea is working on a new rocket engine, and one explanation from the DPRK government is that it may be utilized for eventual lunar exploration. But a more plausible reason for the engine's development is use in future ICBMs which could carry atomic payloads to targets in the US. The project may involve collaboration with Iran, according to the New York Times (see the link above) and the 38North blog, a site run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins SAIS.

38North is a great site, and should be used by anyone with an interest in East Asian current events.