>I think Westerners tend to romanticize secessionists.
>In my experience, in the modern world, they are
>usually pretty unsavory ultranationalists. I thought
>"the Left" was supposed to be cosmopolitan and
>believed in peaceful resolution to conflict issues.
>Why do they seem to support crude tribalism in so many
>instances?
Because a lot of them have despaired of any serious political transformation at home, and so live out their revolutionary fantasies by identifying with the violent struggles of secessionists. It's a more "radical" version of Hollywood liberals' identification with the Dalai Lama.
Doug