Free Society Foundation Plans to Establish Libertarian Country

[sylance]

From: https://news.bitcoin.com/free-society-foundation-plans-to-establish-libertarian-country/

The Free Society Foundation is in the process of realizing a libertarian and crypto-anarchist dream. Currently, the organization is taking steps to purchase a piece of land from governments hoping it will be the first truly sovereign country to exist.

Anyone who's read Atlas Shrugged and agreed with the core message probably gets excited and giddy when reading news stories like this.  The first I saw something like this I got excited, but then nothing happened... and nothing happened again and again.  Now I read these stories with reservation as I know few governments will allow a truly free society to exist within their borders.  If for nothing else this would be an amazing social experiment to see if a true libertarian society can stay together and prosper, or would the lack of a central government binding people together cause the society to collapse into anarchism. 

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[Mad7Scientist]

I remember something about a pirate radio station operator who went to an island at one point.

[BADecker]

The whole problem revolves around greed. People want other people to do everything for them. And they form their governments to force other people to do everything for them. Then the leaders skim off the top, and everybody works for the leaders. Then the whole population fights the leaders for not doing the whole thing for them so they don't have to work.

Most people don't really understand the trick to making libertarianism work... if they even understand what libertarianism is.

[Fortify]

It's a nice idea, but all land in the world is already taken. It is almost impossible to start a new country, as you will likely be in the jurisdiction of another country already and their military will simply not allow it. Unless you are pulling coups on African dictatorships, which is equally difficult, then you cannot go that route either. Nice idea, never going to happen. Better off trying to persuade current governments to take up your ideas.

[sylance]

The whole problem revolves around greed. People want other people to do everything for them <snip> ... if they even understand what libertarianism is.

A great point.  I consider myself a libertarian and I know several others that call themselves the same thing.  Actually, I'd consider myself a progressive libertarian... meaning I believe we should have a libertarian society in which you can do anything you want as long as it doesn't impede other's freedoms, but we can't just flip a switch like some libertarians think.  If we were to do that society would completely collapse as we've lost all sense of personal responsibility and common sense.  But that's the end state we should aspire to.

[Jpti]

The world is not scare of such persons and there are many who have declared their own countries. In the end they have to obey the law.

[coolcoinz]

It's hard for me to believe that a government will be willing to sell land to such organization and not demand them to pay taxes and uphold the law. You may have a closed society, just like Amishes, but it will be a struggle when the government gets bored with you. The only way that could work is if a society was big enough and ready to die for their beliefs. If a 10 thousand armed people stood up and said we're not going to pay taxes, fuck the government, it would be a hard nut to crack

[BADecker]

The Seasteading project at https://www.seasteading.org/ has the answer. We don't need land. Do it the right way, and we have the oceans to live on. Youtube search on "Seasteading" and "Seasteading and Government."

[BADecker]

FreeSociety (Co-Founder Roger Ver)

We are exploring ways for the public and interested parties to participate. Many prominent names in the libertarian world are joining our team, more will be revealed soon!


FAQ

What's this project about?

For many decades, mostly libertarians have been trying to create a new country by various methods that have ranged from unsuccessfully claiming an existing piece of land (Minerva, Liberland), to creating floating structures on the water (Seasteading). Unfortunately, none of these attempts have succeeded so far and have encountered substantial resistance from existing governments or were technically or financially too difficult. Our conclusion is that, to really gain sovereignty, the most efficient way is to negotiate with an existing government. There are many examples of governments granting another nation sovereignty over a part of their territory, the more prominent example being Guantanamo bay (Cuba), which the USA leased as a coaling and naval station in 1903 for $2000 payable in gold per year. Other more benevolent examples are the current discussions between Maldives and other nations to sell them a piece of land in an attempt to have a solution for their people once their islands permanently disappear because of rising ocean levels.

Which government are you negotiating with?

We have started up preliminary talks with governments and interest is much higher than initially expected. For confidentiality reasons we are unable to disclose any names at this point, but we will do so as soon as we are allowed.

What are your selection criteria?

-Proximity to existing economic powerhouses (US, Europe, Asia)

-Accessibility by water

-Located in a safe, conflict-free area

-Stable existing government

-Nations with a significant national debt

-A flexible constitution that allows granting sovereignty

-Acceptable minimum size for the land

What will be the rule of law?

We plan to establish a rule of law based on libertarian principles and free markets. We don't see the need to recreate traditional government structures. The rule of law / constitution can be included in the final agreement of the land sale, and will be an extension of the existing contract that will be put in place with the government that granted us the sovereignty. Enforcement will happen through private arbitration, competing court systems and private law enforcement. It is important to establish a proper rule of law, as our project will set an example for the industry and create an important precedent with governments and the world. We want to make sure the constitution is solid but avoid the inefficiencies of existing government structures.

Team

Olivier Janssens

Olivier Janssens

Founding Father, CEO

Roger Ver

Roger Ver

Co-Founder

Stefaan Claes

Stefaan Claes

Chief of Staff

Advisors

Kris Wagner

Kris Wagner

Attorney

Daniel Kelman

Daniel Kelman

Attorney

Johan Schotte

Johan Schotte

Johan Schotte Foundation

Get notified on updates

Read more, click the links, and see pictures of the leaders at https://www.freesociety.com/.