Iraq’s Kurds go to Washington again – but this time they are taking the long view

The Kurds want to inject caution into US arms sales to Iraq and sound out presidential contenders on their view of a potential third term for federal Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. With little fanfare and few speaking engagements, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has sent some heavy hitters to Washington DC to pursue an agenda that differs in important ways from that of a previous delegation to the US capital early this year. On that visit, KRG President Massoud Barzani sent chief-of-staff Fouad Hussein and foreign affairs minister Falah Mustafa Bakir to garner US support for an effort to unseat Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.