Many libertarians believe that the only way to bring about a government built on liberty and free markets is to create a nation. Already, many people are trying to make this theory reality.
Liberland, a nation on no man’s land between Croatia and Serbia, is one of these attempts that more than likely has a long way to go before it is recognized as a legitimate nation. Bitcoin Jesus Roger Ver wants to raise $500 million to negotiate buying land from an existing government to start a libertarian nation, but that is also a project that could take many years.
With many of these projects making slow progress, the Seasteading Institute, started by Patri Friedman (son of Milton Friedman) that is dedicated to “empower[ing] people to build floating startup societys with innovative governance models,” may be closer than anyone to finally creating a libertarian nation.
The Architect Newspaper reports that “The community could be afloat soon—like, 2020 soon. The Floating Islands Project, as it is officially known, will be built with emerging floating-construction technology and is meant to attract investment to French Polynesia.”
The government of French Polynesia signed an agreement in January with the Institute to build a prototype of the floating city as long as it can demonstrate that the structure will not have adverse environmental effects and contribute to the Polynesian economy.
A platform for 20-30 people would cost around $15 Million according to Dutch Firm DeltaSync who built a prototype in a lake in Rotterdam.
The idea of libertarian nation seemed like a dream that would never come to fruition, so it’s encouraging to see that the opportunity might present itself sooner than thought.
