In the West, if we try to hang on to any national identity as a white, you're pretty much labelled racist and discriminated against for being white.
Western nations allowing a heavy leftist agenda seem to want to destroy any past national identity and create a new one.
For example, it used to be 'True Blue Australia', now it's 'Multicultural Australia'.

But it's true that people do tend to want to have a national identity.
If you denied this as a basic fact, then none of the wars across the planet would make much sense.

Self-determination, seems pretty hypocritical in some cases.

Like if Crimea votes itself out of a Ukraine, after it's government was overthrown in a US sponsored takedown and the new government says that Russian citizens are banned from using the Russian language and they vote to break off and align with Russia, then that's not allowed.
Russia 'stole' Crimea, this is the crap we have to listen to.

But if Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US have geopolitical aims and they start a war in Syria, arming proxies to overthrow the Assad government, deliberately letting ISIS take over the country; US claiming they were fighting ISIS for years when really they were more or less supporting them against the Assad government, and use the Kurds to take the land back from ISIS, both Sunni aligned - Effectively 'Stealing a part of Assad's Syria' for geopolitical aims... stopping Shia influence, then this self-determination is 'good' apparently, and all we hear is the 'evil' dictator Assad.

I'm not going along with this, even if Kurds do have a valid case to have their own small independent state.
I'd support Assad and Russia bombing them back to their previous borders.
The US and Israel are funding rebuilding programs so Kurdistan will effectively be a US / Israeli puppet state;
They will install missile defense / try to stop Iranian influence by establishing Kurdistan.
- And it's all just stepping stones to their removal of Assad.

Democracy's a different word for Imperialism, when someone won't do what the US wants.

While it's very easy indeed to agree in principle with the evocations of the Author! Practicalities stand in the way of ethentically based independence!

What is required, I believe, is the affirmation of all those things we share! Common humanity, the pursuit of happiness and a willingness toward peaceful cohabitation, on just one single planet!

All that separates all humans is just 6 degrees of difference and ingrained/inculcated cultural diversity! That's all! Nothing else!

Lifeboat earth! Demands a mindset that confirms, united we stand, divided we fall!

Essentially all that the Kurd or any other euthenic community needs is regional Autonomy! And with it the alleged missing, self determination! And just allow time, patience and goodwill to add anything currently, ostensibly missing?

Far worse outcomes can so easily prevail! e.g., The Palestinian/Israeli conflict or never ever ending story!

That said, I have long believed/held, behind everyone of these self determination/independence moves, is a strongman looking to promote his/her own power/position/privilege/prestige?
Alan B.

I agree with this article, but I go further:

Everyone ought to be free not to be ruled by others against their will.
Forcing oneself or one's group upon others is violence, thus unacceptable.

Now it is sad that at present, people like the Kurds and Catalonians need to mimic their oppressors in forming states themselves, just in order to be free. This should not be required, but if that's indeed what they want, then that's what they should have: smaller states that are based on some commonality are better than conglomerate states that impose themselves arbitrarily over a diverse population.

Regarding this commonality, I do not recommend forming societies around ethnic lines. Of course I would not tell others who to associate themselves with, of course I will respect their choices, but I think it's unhealthy for people to sort themselves out along ethnic lines. Language and cultural commonality are a better glue, but better still is religion, where people join together to create a purer environment that supports their particular religious practices and keeps out interfering distractions.

(and even if you seem to lack religion, you still value other things, so why not stick with people who share the same values and aspirations?)

States need to be small enough so they do not oppress the other people who live nearby.

States need to be small enough, so the can become the entree for large expanding nations, ruled by power mad, inflexible dictators! Da?

Who can expand by just taking very small bites out of notionally independent nations, or if small enough? Swallow them whole like oysters kilpatrick? It's time consuming, but only if you're not playing the long game! Da?
Alan B.

Democracy relies on making no distinctions among citizens on the basis of their race, religion, culture or any other defining characteristic except their willingness to obey the laws and participate in community affairs.

Self-determination assumes the a people united by some characteristic such as race, religion, ethnicity, culture should form a state based on that characteristic. Those within the boundary of the state who do not share that characteristic are liable to become second-class citizens.

Self-determination is a form of ethnic nationalism which is incompatible with a non-discriminatory democracy.

The name of the game is regime change.

Arm, fund and organise civil right groups to start simultaneous protests.
All you need is one group to attack government forces and kill a heap of them ruthlessly.
From there you can expect a harder response towards putting down the civil unrest and government will act less disciminitory towards citizens to protect it's own people.
Expect more civilian casualties, details of which must be broadcast by media to enrage the people rebelling further.
The nation's leader will move to shut down media and the West demonises the shutdown of media and portrays the person as a dictator.

Leader is removed from Government, puppet government installed.
Puppet Government takes huge 'redevelopment' loans, becomes beholden to new foreign interests. Geopolitical situation changed.
Now officially a part of 'US National Interests'

To the victors go the spoils, whether that be running drugs, human and sex trafficking or organ harvesting to increase ROI on war costs during the war; or oil or gas contracts (for $US of course), oil pipline right of ways, resource grabs, government infrastructure and civil contracts, communications, etc, all debts fall on the shoulders of the poor citizen who's lucky enough to survive the war.

And that is how the Team America does democracy.
- You'd think people would've figured the game out by now.

Can they really not see it?