(CNN) -- As U.S. President Barack Obama decides on the best strategy to deal with the threat posed by ISIS in Iraq, Syria and beyond, his final plan of action will undoubtedly include the participation of like-minded allied countries and regional partners. One such partner are the Kurds of northern Iraq who regard ISIS as the biggest threat since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003. The Kurds, however, are hoping for a more robust and lasting U.S. commitment as part of rekindled Kurdish-American cooperation. Meanwhile, it might be timely for Washington to reassess its previous refusal to directly engage with Kurdish armed forces. As the last few weeks of military battles against ISIS show, when American assistance has not been forthcoming, the Iraqi Kurds have turned to Iran for help.
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U.S. President Barack Obama is set to announce his strategy for dealing with ISIS
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Alex Vatanka and Sarkawt Shamsulddin say the Iraqi Kurds stand out as potential partners
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The Kurdish Regional Government is secular and Western orientated, they say
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But the threat of ISIS means the KRG will accept whatever help it can, the authors say
The fact that the United States has good relations with all Iraqi Kurdish parties gives @placeholder leverage among the Kurdish parties.
As American policy-makers wrestle with this question in @placeholder, Iraq's Kurds have had to look elsewhere for support.