... snipped for relevance ...
The SOFA negotiated under Bush was expected to be renegotiated and renewed before it expired under a new President. Although the military and the Iraqi government were clamoring to start negotiations long before, Obama did not start talking in earnest about an extension until less then six months before expiration. The main sticking point was in fact extraterritoriality for US troops, but Prime Minister al-Maliki was willing to grant that by executive order. He was not willing to go to parliament for approval. Obama refused to accept that. I guess for Obama having the executive bypass the legislature is legitimate for him to do himself, but not for our allies. No, the agreement was scuttled because Obama had no interest keeping US troops in Iraq. He had made an ill-considered campaign pledge, and he followed up on it with an ill-considered fulfillment of that pledge.