Prospects of an orderly withdrawal from Iraq by the US and its few remaining coalition partners have been seriously compromised now the Iraqi cabinet has unanimously rejected a deal that would have seen American troops leave the country by no later than the end of 2011.

The deadlock over a new status of forces agreement (SOFA), to take effect once the UN mandate for the coalition expires at the end of this year, underlines how precarious the situation in Iraq remains. Intrinsic to this fragility is how the US-led occupation is brought to an end.