Why Washington's efforts to weaken Iran's influence in Iraq may be doomed to fail

US Middle East envoy Tom Barrack met with Faiq Zaidan, president of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, in London this week. The meeting came five days after the two men met in Baghdad.This was the third meeting between Barrack and Zaidan in the last month, with the first taking place in Baghdad on October 12.In a post on X following the Tuesday meeting, Barrack wrote that “strong, independent judicial institutions and deeper cooperation between our legal systems are essential to building confidence, advancing the rule of law, and securing a more prosperous future.”Concern for progress on the judicial front notwithstanding, three meetings in the course of a month between the US special envoy for Syria and Iraq and the head of Iraq's judiciary seem a little excessive.Barrack didn't meet with Zaidan to discuss finer points of jurisprudenceIn this case, it's best to avoid the official appellations, which are deceptive. Zaidan is indeed a judge and holds a senior judicial position. But it may be assumed that Barrack didn't meet with him to discuss finer points of jurisprudence.Rather, the US envoy sought out Zaidan's company on three occasions in the last month because Faiq Zaidan is a key player, and maybe the key player, in the pro-Iran structure which is the real wielder of power in Iraq.The US administration is engaged in…