U.S. President Barack Obama is set to announce his strategy for dealing with ISIS . Alex Vatanka and Sarkawt Shamsulddin say the Iraqi Kurds stand out as potential partners . The Kurdish Regional Government is secular and Western orientated , they say . The Kurds , however , are hoping for a more robust and lasting U.S. commitment as part of rekindled Kurdish-American cooperation . They are also opposed to a possible partition of Iraq into Sunni - dominated areas in the north and Shia - majority areas in the south.
U.S. President Barack Obama is set to announce his strategy for dealing with ISIS . Alex Vatanka and Sarkawt Shamsulddin say the Iraqi Kurds stand out as potential partners . The Kurdish Regional Government is secular and Western orientated , they say . They are also opposed to a possible partition of Iraq into Sunni - dominated areas in the north and Shia - majority areas in the south.