Why Trump decided to back Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi

The decision by United States President Donald Trump to back Ali al-Zaidi as Iraq’s next prime minister may have surprised some quarters. But when one looks into whom Trump was trying to keep out, his motivation becomes clear. Iraq’s dominant parliamentary bloc, the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shia parties aligned with Iran, had initially thrown its weight behind former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki . …