In the aftermath of Iraq's provincial elections late last year, Islamist parties in the Kurdistan region will have much to ponder. The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) ran on a joint list for the first time yet achieved a disappointing result. They failed to win any seats on the Kirkuk Provincial Council, where previously the KIU had held three.

With elections for the Kurdistan Parliament slated to be held in June, the setback in Kirkuk means that local Islamist parties must engage in introspection, strategic reassessment, and form stronger alliances to address the...