With the way the world is going, I'm sure I'm not the only one who as thought of running away from it all. I understand no one can completely escape the chaos in the world. But some space would be nice. I've often thought of creating my own country. The existence of cryptocurrencies and blockchain could change the method of approach.
Let's say you wanted to start your own country. Could you do it? Is it possible? The answer is YES!
1) First, you have to get the basics out of the way. You need to decide on a name for your country, at least one official language, national flag, whether there will be states or provinces and the names, your country's anthem, and where and what your capital will be named.
2) Know the rules of the game. If you don't know the rules of any game you play you'll end up getting slaughtered. So know the rules ahead of time instead of scrambling to fix mistakes later. The 1933 Convention on Rights and Duties of States contains the basic set of rules for creating a nation. There are 16 Articles, Article 1 states- The state as a person of International Law should possess the following qualifications:
a) A permanent population
b) A defined territory
c) Form of Government
d) The capacity to enter into relations with other states
The rest of the articles in summary state that you can essentially declare a country at any time, and anywhere. Whether you are recognised as a country is decided by each country individually. So in essence, the Articles are more of a guideline.
3) Find land for your new nation. My favourite option is to build an island. Getting land the conventional way doesn't seem promising. The other methods you may be familiar with; Invading and conquering another country or buying land from another country, not the soundest approach.
There are already a few examples of man-made islands. The islands off the coast of Dubai are some. I'm in favour of a less popular method of building an island. Richard Sowa created an island using essentially whatever he could get his hands on. The bottom consists of water bottles held together by a net. Dirt and soil are thrown over the secured bottles, with trees and such planted on the surface. Eventually, the roots grow into the foundation of the island and hold the bottles together.
4) Creating a currency/ economy. A country without an economy isn't really a country at all. Luckily there is no longer a need to mint a tangible coin thanks to cryptocurrencies. This also allows for the economy to more dynamic.
5) Establish a Government and Constitution.This is where things get a little more interesting with blockchain and smart contracts. What if you had a decentralised autonomous government? If done properly, corruption in government would be a thing of the past. Not to say it would be easy, you would need to work out taxation and delegation for your government.
6)Declare your independence.This is probably the most difficult step. To be recognised by the United Nations depends on whether or not Russia, China, UK, US, or France veto your request. Some fancy footwork may be required there. Every country is different, as a result, some will be easier to obtain recognition from. The United States, for example, requires the acting President to acknowledge your country as a country. Whereas, in Canada, it would be decided by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Final Step) Get out there and do it! Find like-minded people and begin to build your reality!