The head of the Sadrist movement in Iraq, Muqtada Al-Sadr, recently visited Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, home to government headquarters and diplomatic missions—most notably the US embassy. However, his visit was vastly different than in 2016, when he led a sit-in to demand "reform" and protest Haidar Al-Abadi's government (2014-18).

This time, Sadr entered the Green Zone to form a government in accordance with his own pre-established specifications, in a meeting with some who he has previously hinted at as heading "brazen militias."

A rare lunch gathering

In many ways, the ongoing contention over the makeup of Iraq’s next government will be determined by the outcome of the contest between the Shiite Coordination Framework and the Sadrist movement. While the former has emphasized the need for another consensus government, as has been the norm in post-2003 Iraq, the Sadrists wish to pursue a majority government...