Create-a-Nation

Well, the federal government is finally back open tomorrow, my road is finally plowed, and there is a rumor that the metro may or may not be running in full service. Therefore, before I get back in the office tomorrow, here is another random fact for everyone to digest (and believe me this is random)…

Create-a-Nation: The Principality of Sealand

International law entertains some of its most interesting and bizarre cases with the entrance of micro-nations into the world in the 20^th century. Micro-nations are essentially self-proclaimed countries who are almost unanimously rejected by the rest of the world. Excuse me? Yes you heard me correctly, you can create your own nation! For instance, let’s say you were sailing along the coast of Britain one day and stumbled upon an old, abandoned barge. You climb aboard and imagining yourself to be a mixture of a pirate and Christopher Columbus proclaim, “I declare this barge to be ruled by myself, King Lee.” Sound ridiculous?

Well this actually happened! While there is no Leeland (yet), there is a Sealand. The micro-nation of Sealand was “colonized” in 1967 by Major Paddy Roy Bates, a British citizen who intended to set up his own radio station on an abandoned WWII British anti-aircraft fort that was set up on a sandbar 6 miles off the British coastline. In 1968, Roy Bates and his son were summoned to a British court for firing warning shots at a ship that had entered Sealand’s “territorial waters.” The court decreed that Sealand was not part of the United Kingdom because it lay 6 miles off British soil, and international law limits territorial waters to 3 miles off shore.

Bates heralded this as a victory for Sealand. Oh and get ready for this. In 1978, a German citizen named Alexander Achenbach, claiming he was the Prime Minister of Sealand, gathered a group of Dutch and German “soldiers” together and “invaded” Sealand, taking Bates’ son Michael, prisoner in an earth-shattering coup-d’etat. Roy Bates would have none of this. He decided to retaliate by enlisting a small army and a helicopter from Britain and took back the island, in turn holding Achenbach prisoner. To negotiate his release, Germany sent Ambassadors to Sealand. This court ruling along with the visit of German diplomats gave Bates all the de facto legitimacy he needed to claim independence. (Believe me, I couldn’t make this up if I tried).

Sealand now has a constitution, a flag, a national anthem, currency (that is linked in value to the U.S. dollar), a newspaper, athletes who participate in international competitions, and even issues passports (that are not recognized anywhere). Two recent changes in international law have affected Sealand and the future for any of us wanting to create our own island nation. In 1987, the UK pushed back its territorial waters from 3 miles off shore to 12 miles, thus making Sealand entrapped in the UK’s jurisdiction. Also, in 1982, the Law of the Sea treaty forbade any person from creating or claiming artificial islands as independent states. Lucky for Americans, the United States hasn’t ratified the Law of the Sea treaty, so if you stumble across an artificial island, have at it!

More to come on micro-nations at a later date.