How to establish your own Country

Have you ever wondered if you could establish your own country, with your own rules and government? While some people have led movements and fought wars to create their own countries, some have declared themselves as self-proclaimed entities, others continue to struggle for their right to self-governance. Despite the global community coming closer due to unprecedented technology and communication, people still very strongly hold to their identities which sometimes may be threatened by several factors including globalisation. This has fuelled the demand for a separate nation in many countries. Though establishing your own country is not completely impossible and the following steps could actually make your dream come true.

The first step to making your own country is finding territory. You could venture off to occupy a deserted unclaimed island and claim your republic or take the arduous path where you garner the support of the masses and fight for the right to territory from your country. Most states do not give citizens, rather forbid them, the right to self-determination through secession. The Sixteenth amendment bill (1963) of the Indian Constitution which is often referred to as the ‘Anti-Secession Bill’ strictly restricts the propagation of secession movements, which seemed necessary to hold the uniquely diverse regions of India into one union. Article 280.1 of the Russian Criminal Code was introduced in 2014 prohibiting calls for the violation of territorial integrity, under which several ‘Separatists’ have been persecuted with the majority of these cases coming from the separatist movements in the regions of Crimea, Karelia, Siberia, and Chechnya. Similarly, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) ratified The Anti-Secession Law in 2005 which stated that the law aimed to prevent the widespread secession movement from succeeding in Taiwan and promote reunification. The law sent a clear message to the demands for separation in various provinces of China, including Hong Kong, Macau, East Turkestan, Tibet, etc. Hence, it becomes clear that even if you garner support and mobilise the masses for your movement, getting your territory from a sovereign state is an extremely tough row to hoe.

Separatist or Secessionist movements have been almost ubiquitous around the world. Most countries have faced such movements in some form or the other irrespective of their form of government. Countries, whether democratic or authoritarian, developed or developing have all had mass uprising demanding to break away and forming a separate nation. There are several reasons why such demands arise in the first place, among which Social and Cultural factors are predominantly the major reason why certain areas, communities, or sections of the society feel the need to break away from their state. Often these separatist movements are the result of historic marginalisation and systemic discrimination of ethnic groups, linguistic groups, religious groups, etc. Soviet Republics breaking away from the Soviet Union, Ireland leaving the United Kingdom, Eritrea leaving Ethiopia, Algeria leaving France, South Sudan breaking away from Sudan and Bangladesh gaining its independence from Pakistan have been some of the most famous successful secessionist movements from around the world. These countries have been internationally recognised and have been successful in their quest for self-rule.

Many have been successful in creating their small self-proclaimed entities, often referred to as Micronations. These are claimed independent sovereign states albeit they are not recognised by international organisations and other sovereign states. Micronations have been created for various reasons which include theoretical experimentation, political protest, artistic expression, cults, or simply for the sake of owning a ‘country’. The doctrine of “Terra nullius” which in Latin translates to “nobody’s land”, is often used in international law to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state’s occupation of it. ‘Liberland’ or the ‘Free Republic of Liberland’ is one such micronation proclaimed by Czech libertarian activist Vit Jedli?ka on 7 km 2 (2.7 sq. mi) of uninhabited land between Croatia and Serbia in 2015, though none of the two countries or any member of the United Nation has diplomatically recognised it. An interesting case has been of the ‘Principality of Sealand’ which was set up by Paddy Roy Bates and his family with the intention of setting up their own pirate radio on HM Fort Roughs, an offshore platform in the North Sea constructed by the Royal Navy during the World War II. Although Sealand is not officially recognised by any established sovereign state, it has been often described as the world’s smallest country and also holds the Guinness World Record for "the smallest area to lay claim to nation status". In 2019, Indian godman Nithyananda with a few hundred disciples created his self-proclaimed island nation 'Kailaasa' and claimed to issue passports, currency and other national documents including a three-day tourist visa. Hence, claiming small lands that rest between states which neither lay claim to, has been the easiest way to go ahead finding territory for establishing a state. ‘Bir Tawil’ is one such area between Sudan and Egypt of 2,060 km2 which has had several claimants but none of them have made it officially theirs, so it could still be an option for you!

A country is usually made of its people, which is the next essential after a territory. Land and other resources are only as useful as the people make it and hence without this human asset it is pretty much impossible to imagine a state. Although legally there is no provision of a minimum number of people required to officially be recognised as a state. So, you alone could be the only resident of your country.

Next, one needs to determine a system of government or at least an apparatus to interact with other foreign powers to get recognised. Establishing diplomatic ties helps states get better recognition and sometimes even protection from foreign invasion. Taiwan or the Republic of China (ROC) has benefited from this as it is recognised by 14 UN member states and has had the United States as one of its main allies despite PRC’s pressure. Getting an official recognition and becoming a member of the United Nations could help you bring your country on the global map, although this has not been imperative as there are sovereign states which have been established successfully and are still not recognised by the United Nations like the Vatican City, Palestine, Western Sahara, Abkhazia and North Cyprus.

Sound knowledge of Law and the legal provisions of the international law for creating a state could help you steer clear from any trouble with other sovereign nations. So, with all the aforementioned tasks done correctly, you might successfully be able to establish your own country.