MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — Sandrine Alexie, writer and representative of the Kurdish Institute of Paris Foundation stressed that "everybody hopes that all the problems [in Iraq] will be associated with the successor of Obama.
"The US president simply "does not want to take that risk."
Kurdistan's Peshmerga forces are currently gaining more independence amid a weakening of centralized power in Baghdad, as attention is turned to fighting ISIL militants.
Should a Republican candidate be elected US president in 2016, direct military support to Iraqi Kurds will be ruled out, as such a position is widely advocated by the party's presidential candidates, the representative of the Kurdish NGO noted.
"We know that the Republicans want to arm Peshmerga directly but I think that the fear of Americans concerning the possible disintegration of Iraq will be stronger that the dangers of a chemical attack. But I’m not sure that a Republican president will change the policy [towards Iraqi Kurdistan] because when you pass from the comfortable situation of a party in opposition and suddenly you have to face the reality of power you change your mind," Sandrine Alexie, writer and representative of the Kurdish Institute of Paris Foundation said.
Earlier in the week, Kurdish, US and German officials claimed that ISIL fighters had allegedly used mustard gas against Peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq.
"I’m skeptical of the fact that the US will give additional weapons to Peshmerga. They want to give all the weapons directly to Baghdad… They could only send some supplies to defend against chemical attacks," Alexie noted.
According to Alexie, the alleged chemical attack is not enough for the United States to change their position on the issue.
