Micronations, often referred to as New Country Projects or Model States, range from the wacky and bizarre such as the British TV show spoof, The Kingdom of Lovely to regal and sophisticated nations in search of a homeland such as The Socialist Kingdom of Zandrovia or the Kingdom of Ruritania to long time projects that have caught international attention on some scale such as the Principality of Seborga, the Republic of Lavalon, and The Empire of Atlantium. In fact micronations come in every size, shape, and philosophical color including those who seek to restore some historical glory of days gone by like the Byzantium Novum or The Emperial Kingdom of New Camelot or those who simply seek to build a nation based on a common value like The Northern Forest Archipelago.
But, what exactly is a micronation, you might ask? They are many things to many people, but perhaps they are best described as nations awaiting their birth into the world of political powers much like the cosmos prepare for the birth of a new star. A micronation is the dream of its creators, leaders, and “citizens” who, feeling that their needs are no longer being met by their current political system, join together to create a new community, a new state ruled by their common values and beliefs.
These self declared states seem to be widely accepted in Australia and other parts of the world as evident by the recent conference and micronations repeated mention in major and minor new outlets including The Smithsonian Magazine and The Telegraph. But up until now, the the number of some rather impressive efforts in the United States to create micronations have received little support from the American public. This may soon be changing.
As the current political fall out, declining economy, and environmental disasters spiral out of control in the US, now seems like the right time for many to turn to smaller scaled community sized nations, like the communes of the 60's and 70's. So, could micronations be the next (little) big thing in the US? Could anything be more inspiring, or more American, than a group of people coming together to form their own government, in search of freedom and a homeland to call their own? After all, was this not the very sentiment that once began a very young nation now known as one of the world's power houses?
Although in years past, the very concept of creating free and independent communities or new nation projects have been met with less than a positive response in the US, the time may be soon approaching when more and more people join these would be states to build a nation of their own making, in the image of their own ideologies and shared values. From efforts to spread petitions for recognition, to groups of micronations working together for the “Advancement of Micronationalism” there seems to be an ever growing interest in growing and supporting the micronational movement in the US.
Will US micronations ever see the same acceptance and success that they do in Australia and the UK or could micronational citizenship become the newest trend in American pop culture? Time will only tell.... (and while you are awaiting, why not join a micronation and help make this dream a reality?)
Find our more about micronations with the following resources:
The Fifth World: Micronationalism on Steroids
Society For the Advancement of Micronationalism
Lonely Planet's Guide to Home-Made Nations