National Identification: What does it mean to be Chinese?

When should an area be allowed to separate to form its own country? Given the recent conflict between Georgia and Russia, it has made me ponder the question of national identity. Do South Ossetia and Abkhazia have the right to separate from Georgia? What about Kurdistan and Iraq? What exactly defines national identity? A common race, religion, political philosophy, or a common history? During two of my classes today, we had a chance to explore this topic and the Georgian-Russian Conflict. Eventually, the discussion naturally gravitated towards a matter that strikes closer to home for my students (which shall remain nameless so this blog isn't black-listed). Anyways, we had a spirited intellectual exercise in a pseudo-state-run market of ideas about the philosophy and practicality of drawing country lines of a map.