In a rambling column otherwise focused on the November elections, Thomas Friedman revisited one of his favorite themes: his odd and unsettling affinity for autocracy.

The arrival and early growth of Christianity in Korea coincided with the fall of Korea to the Empire of Japan and the emergence of a Korean independence movement. The first generation of Korean Christians became the main leaders of the independence movement, and they established a connection between Korean national identity and Christianity that has continued into the 21st Century.

North Korea, known for the totalitarian rule of Kim Il Sung’s family, once was the center of Christianity in Northeast Asia, its capital Pyongyang renowned as the “Jerusalem of the East.” This forgotten era has renewed relevance today as reports of underground Christianity come from North Korea and while the regime’s grip on society weakens.

There is little incentive in this world for a North Korean to choose to follow Jesus. Yet 300,000 of them do so, and every last one lives dangerously close to martyrdom.

It can be easy to lose sight of the importance of the U.S. Navy patrolling waters around the world. However, from historical, economic, and security perspectives a strong, globally positioned Navy remains crucial to American prosperity and leadership.

It’s a good exercise for world leaders to remember those horrific bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and to learn critical lessons from them. But the President and I disagree on the lessons to be learned.

In his remarks at Hiroshima, President Obama avoided delivering an outright apology for America’s use of atomic bombs to finally break the brutal war machine of Imperial Japan—a decision that won and ended a just war. Even so, the speech raises three unsettling issues.

The first visit to Hiroshima by a sitting US head of state reminds us that the end of war is peace

There was an interesting exchange of articles recently about Pope Pius XII and Finnish WWII leader Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil…