President Donald Trump has set high expectations for Iraq’s newly designated prime minister, Ali al Zaidi, expectations that reflect Washington’s long-standing hope for a stable, reliable partner in Baghdad.

But Iraq’s reality is far more complicated. In Iraq, leadership is not just about capability — it is about constraint. And those constraints are built into the system itself. Al Zaidi did not rise to power through a reform movement or popular momentum; he was elevated by the Coordination Framework, a bloc widely associated with Iran-aligned political forces and militia-backed influence.