@StickyTar Tensions have been building for a while. If I remember correctly, they gained independence twice in the early 1900s with the second being due to Stalin's support. There's a lot of separatist support in the region ever since they were incorporated into Mao's China, but there's isn't one leader or group who speaks for all the separatist factions. It's a good example of an author using current Tensions too predict future behavior.