The story: For the second time in a week, supporters of Shiite cleric and politician Muqtada Al-Sadr have stormed Iraq’s parliament. Sadrists entered the building again on July 30 and say they will continue a sit-in until there is structural change to the political system set up after the 2003 US-led invasion.

The unrest has erupted over the rival Shiite Coordination Framework’s push for Muhammad Shia’ Al-Sudani as prime minister. The Coordination Framework is organizing counterdemonstrations in response for the Sadrist power play. Amid fears of a bloody intra-Shiite confrontation, further army forces were deployed in Baghdad’s Green Zone late on July 31.

The backdrop: The Sadrists became the large single bloc in Iraq’s parliamentary elections last October. Subsequently, Sadr moved to form a “national majority government” together with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Sunni blocs...