North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il died of a reported heart attack on Saturday. He was 69-years-old. An isolationist who made took his country into the nuclear era, Kim ruled North Korea for 17 years.

Kim Jong-il, the North Korean dictator who made his isolated country a nuclear power, died on Saturday of a heart attack at age 69. State media kept the death a secret for nearly two days, suggesting a possible leadership vacuum. North Korea's ruling Workers' Party released a statement suggesting that Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, had succeeded his father. North Korea conducted a short-range missile test on Monday, according to unconfirmed reports from South Korea.

The seven month NATO operation that helped rebels in Libya drive Col. Moammar Gadhafi from power has been heralded as a model air war that utilized technology to deliver blunt force while minimizing civilian causalities. But according to an investigation by The New York Times, dozens of Libyan civilians were killed by NATO airstrikes during the operation, which ended on October 31. The Times estimates that between 40 and 70 people, including at least 29 women and children, were killed by NATO.

A $16 million house on London's "Millionaire Row" could be the first Gadhafi family asset in the UK to be returned to the Libyan government. The luxury property with more than a half-dozen bedrooms and an indoor swimming pool is currently occupied by a group of squatters from an organization called Topple the Tyrants, but attorneys have discovered that it is actually belongs to Saadi Gadhafi, a son of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi. 

The death of Kim Jong-il and the future of both North and South Korea will dominate the headlines this week. Also, Republicans and Democrats are about to have another showdown over a deal to extend payroll tax cuts. Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC, and Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich discuss the major stories for the week ahead.

At the peak of the war, over 170,000 U.S. troops were on the ground in 500 bases in Iraq. Nearly nine years, $1 trillion, and thousands of Iraqi and American lives later, the final convoy of 500 U.S. soldiers quietly slipped out of the country into Kuwait. It was an unremarkable end to a war that started with a blitz called "Shock and Awe." BBC correspondent Hugh Sykes, who has reported from Iraq for over a decade, filed this report on the end of the Iraq war.

He ruled North Korea with an iron fist for 17 years. His infamous isolationism and nuclear ambitions made him a part of George W. Bush's notorious "Axis of Evil." He was one of the last Communist leaders in the world around whom a cult of personality existed. But how Kim Jong-il, the North Korean dictator, will be truly be remembered by his people is yet to be seen. Referred to as "Dear Leader," Kim sank his country into deep famine and ravaged its economy. Though media images out of North Korea may show people weeping in the streets, it's hard to know whether there is real grief behind the tears.

A South Korean news agency reported Monday morning that North Korea conducted a short-range missile test hours after announcing the death of leader Kim Jong-il. South Korea's military would not confirm the report.

Within hours of announcing North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il's death on Sunday, the country's ruling Workers' Party released a statement saying North Korea would unite Kim's youngest son, Kim Jong-un. Not much is known about Kim Jong-un, who was named his father's heir apparent last year. He is believed to be in his late twenties, and apparently went to boarding school in Switzerland. Whether the younger Kim will be able to maintain control of his country and stick to his father's brand of hard-line Communism remains to be seen. The older Kim left North Korea's economy in shambles, and thousands of people are believed to be starving.

In Fort Meade, Maryland, a pre-trial investigation to determine whether or not to court-martial Private Bradley Manning is underway. Manning is accused of passing confidential U.S. military documents onto WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. In theory, the Article 32 hearing could give Manning's lawyers the chance to bring up a broad host of issues connected to the case — about military secrecy, for example, and about the personal difficulties Manning, who is gay, struggled with in the Army. However, over the weekend, Army investigators put strict limits on what witnesses Manning can call in his own defense.

The Takeaway continues its coverage of the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il with a look at his life and legacy with two men who have been close North Korea observers for years. Stephen Bosworth, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, served as the special representative for North Korea policy. Michael Breen is the author of one of the few English language biographies of Kim, "Kim Jong-il: North Korea's Dear Leader."

Syria has announced it will allow 100 observers into the country, after a long political battle with the Arab League. But as director of University of Oklahoma's Center for Middle East Studies Joshua Landis notes, the situation those observers will enter is explosive. The Syrian Free Army and security forces of President Bashar al-Assad seem at the verge of all-out war, and tensions within the country are higher than ever.