NO REST FOR THE WICKED NOR THE GOOD

General David Petraeus is spending the American Thanksgiving holiday on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The aircraft carrier was operational through the first and second Gulf Wars and is still in service under the US Fifth Fleet which patrols waters from the Persian Gulf southward to the east African coast just off Kenya.

In Iraq, the security pact signed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the US passes through the parliament, allowing the American forces to remain for another three years. This is being hailed as a success in a country where agreement is almost as elusive as peace.

“We have gotten an important achievement by signing the withdrawal agreement for the foreign troops from Iraq and bringing back its sovereignty, ” notes al-Maliki.

The pact providing a now-visible end to US occupation of the country received an overwhelming 149 votes, with only 35 dissensions.

With the other war being waged in Afghanistan, another US commander is warning that focus needs to be shifted to Pakistan. 

General James Conway, head of Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says al-Qaeda is now targeting to destablise Pakistan because it is “the closest place where you have the nexus of terrorism and nuclear weapons.”

Since this blog began last month, it has been dominated by Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan. But this Thanksgiving post ends with an update from Iran.

Iran's state media says Tehran has successfully launched the “Kovash 2” rocket. It is believed it has the capability of despatching weapons, though insufficient information has been provided to determine the source of this technology which could be part of Iran's covert nuclear weaponry strategy.