The story: Outlining his policy program, new Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani says his government will prioritize “fighting corruption” and “economic reforms.” Meanwhile, one week into his term, Sudani’s appointments are raising speculations of a possible purge of rivals of his backers in the Shiite Coordination Framework. In parallel, in a seeming nod to the Sadrist Movement, the prime minister has confirmed efforts to pave the way for early legislative elections—a longtime Sadrist demand.

The coverage: As part of his declared crackdown on corruption, Sudani stated on Nov. 2 that he had directed the “tracking down of oil smuggling networks and the arrest of the mobs” implicated in such illicit activities.

• Notably, local Iraqi media reported on Oct. 31 that the director of Iraq’s Energy Police, Ghanem Al-Husseini, had been arrested “for unknown reasons...