We should at least entertain the theoretical possibility that Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, is not a fully formed Iranian proxy in the mold of Nouri al-Maliki or Adel Abdul Mahdi. Imagine the following scenario: al-Zaidi speaks the loud language of reform, but governs with cold pragmatism. His promises to “disarm the militias” and “eradicate corruption” give him moral cover to enact cosmetic adjustments that leave the core machinery of plunder untouched—the very swamp in which his government lives. Parliament, unable to bear the cost of toppling yet another prime minister, cooperates. His media campaigns—from a Washington visit packed with a box of carefully arranged illusions, to an upcoming pilgrimage to Tehran packed with a box of loyalty—are cheap in one crucial sense: they do not alter the structure of power. He knows that Iraq’s political class wants only one thing: positive atmospherics and bright television studios.

Like previous governments that raised the banner of reform and ended up entrenching ruin, al-Zaidi can make Iraqis feel, for a brief moment, that something is moving while everything stays in place.

Like previous governments that raised the banner of reform and ended up entrenching ruin, al-Zaidi can make Iraqis feel, for a brief moment, that something is moving while everything stays in place.

Then, as elections approach, he will likely tell them that “the problem is not the political system, but certain practices,” without showing genuine anger toward those who hollowed out the state. “Vote for us to complete the reform,” he will say—exactly as Mohammed Shia al-Sudani did. Today, some of the biggest thieves of the state who were arrested under Sudani have turned out to be among his........

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