Monthly review: January 2009: The political scene.

The article presents a monthly review of the political situation in Iraq as of January 2009. It attributes the division of the Iraqi Accord Front or the Tawafuq on December 24, 2008 to a long-standing conflicts with the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP). Following the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) in December 2008, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates disclosed that the vast majority of U.S. troops will be withdrawn by late 2010. Also noted is the rise of violence in the country.