From Abdüsselam to Masoud Barzani

American writers in Turkey infamously get their ideas from our taxi drivers, so I make a point of returning the favor when I am in the U.S. Usually, you say the name of your country and the taxi driver tells you what that name currently resonates with in the capitol. This time, upon hearing that I'm from Turkey, the driver asked me right away: "What do you think about the vote?" Without waiting for an answer, he blurted out a second one "why is Israel supporting the Kurdish referendum?" 

First of all, I was relieved not to be questioned about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's rising authoritarianism, the state of emergency, and jailed journalists. This time, what was new about Turkey was not something pertaining to itself, but its attitude towards something just beyond its borders: The Sept. 25 independence referendum in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq. It made a refreshing change - and it was much easier to talk about than all the Turkey stuff. 

The Turkish Parliament is set to hold an emergency session on Sept. 23, so it might be useful to go over the basics once more. This session - coming right after National Security Council and Council of Ministers meetings - is telling. The government is preparing to get a parliamentary approval for Turkish boots on the ground. It is not clear whether such permission will be put to use, but the government wants to be ready to send a certain signal. 

Why is all this happening? The American invasion of Iraq and the Syrian civil war on our doorstep taught one thing to us Turks: The erosion of government authority in neighboring countries is something to be avoided at all costs.  The 3 million Syrian refugees trying to make ends meet in Turkey remind us of this lesson. The Kurdish...