Andrés Vaccari

Micronations
By John Ryan, Simon Sellars and George Dunford
Lonely Planet Publications, 144pp, $24.95

(The Australian September 23 2006)

THIS latest offering by Lonely Planet Books is a curious creature. Ostensibly a travel book, it turns out on closer inspection to be an exploration of the idea of nationhood. In our post-colonial, globalised times, some people see the nation as a myth, a mass delusion, a coercive dream. To others, a nation is the main source of identity, denoting a common history, culture and territory. Whatever the case, there is something arbitrary about national borders and the very idea of a nation.

Micronations celebrates an eclectic group of people who, for various reasons, have decided to start their own countries. The entries range from earnest attempts at creating new societies to humorous stunts to prove a point. What these countries have in common is that they began as acts of rebellion, expressions of dissatisfaction with the state of affairs on the “mainland”. Their founders have used their own twist on nationhood as a form of protest, in many cases having to defend their territories against attempts at re-appropriation.

In the pub or around the barbie, starting your own country seems remarkably easy. You claim a territory and declare yourself president, king or queen. However, you also have to design your own flag, issue your own currency and be ready to defend your territorial claims. Then there is the tricky business of gaining recognition from other nation-states, and the UN. The micronations surveyed here are mostly left in peace because they do not pose a threat to any large-scale state. If the motherland decides to invade, it is usually because of unpaid taxes.

Some micronations claim illustrious histories. The Dominion of British West Florida was created in 1763 by a group of British loyalists who refused to recognise the independence of the US. The Kingdom of Elleore, located in an uninhabited island off the coast of Denmark, traces its ancestry to a monastic society of Irish monks who arrived in the middle of the 10th century.

Most of these micronations, however, are young. The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands is two years old, and was founded by a group of gay activists as a response to the Australian Government’s ban on same-sex marriage. In 2001, foraying into a modern frontier, a US citizen staked a claim over the whole of Western Antarctica and declared himself the Grand Duke of Westarctica. Established by a group of environmentalists, the Northern Forest Archipelago is a constitutional monarchy located in a vast tract of wilderness at the border between the US and Canada. Other nations, such as Akhzivland (founded in 1952 on the northwest coast of Israel) and the Principality of Sealand (claiming an abandoned Royal Navy barge off the coast of Britain), are bold attempts at political independence and have successfully resisted invasions from their neighbours.

Then there are the funny publicity stunts. The Kingdom of Lovely, for example, is the brainchild of comedian Danny Wallace (King Danny I). Although it claims jurisdiction only over King Danny’s tiny flat in east London, it has more citizens than Monaco and Liechtenstein. Wallace documented his efforts in a six-part BBC series, How to Start Your Own Country (a good place to start, if reading this is giving you some ideas). While a state requires a specific territory, a nation is a social collective that can gather geographically dispersed persons. The advent of the internet has made possible an increase in the number of virtual nations, enabling the enrolment of their citizens from all over the world.

Australia figures prominently in the history of the micronational movement, possibly owing to the rich streaks of utopianism and anti-authoritarianism in the country’s history. Situated in a flat in Sydney’s suburb of Kings Cross, the Empire of Atlantium was founded in 1981 and claims more than 900 virtual citizens. The principality of Snake Hill, northwest of Sydney, seceded from Australia after a threat to repossess the two Sydney properties of Prince Paul and Princess Helena raised their revolutionary ire. The constitution of Snake Hill is based on the 10 commandments, and lawyers are not welcome.

Micronations walks the line between humorous romp and serious social commentary and it is up to the reader to do with it as they will. The philosopher John Locke asserted that human beings have basic, inalienable rights, which it is the duty of the state to protect. If this pact is broken, individuals or social groups have a right to revolt. Or secede, in this case. It might sound subversive but Locke is expressing the Enlightenment spirit that inspired the birth of modern nations such as the US.

Micronations could offer a panacea for our age of political apathy and discontent. Creating your own country surely beats the donkey vote.