4. Micronations Made Easy: The Lazy Rebel’s Guide to Independence
- Mike Miller
- 4 days ago
- 16 min read
Why overthrow a government when you can start your own?
📘 Chapter 17:
Micronational Foreign Policy – Shaping World Politics from the Balcony
🌍 Introduction:
You, Your Balcony, and World Peace
Whether you are a king with a folding lounger throne, a secretary-general with an email address, or a dictator with DSL – you have one thing in common with all the foreign ministers of this world: You have to take a position. Because whoever plays state must also play world politics – preferably in a way that irritates both the neighbors and the Secretary-General of the UN. And that is possible – with a thoughtfully exaggerated, satirically diplomatic foreign strategy.
🗺️ Chapter Content at a Glance:
🧭 Principle: Why foreign policy?
🤝 Recognition – A must? Or a myth?
📡 Strategies: From tweet to embassy cardboard box
🕊️ Microdiplomacy in action: Practical examples
🏛️ International organizations – Join or disrupt?
⚠️ Caution: What is better not to be foreign policy
🧭 1. Why Foreign Policy?
Your state may only measure 24 square meters, but: Sovereignty lives on visibility. In your case, foreign policy means:
Public effectiveness
Diplomatic satire
Creative interaction with old states
Building a network nation (→ see ITU!)
And maybe… a passive-aggressive letter to the district administrator.
🤝 2. Recognition – Holy Grail or Smoke and Mirrors?
Spoiler: Nobody has to recognize you for you to "exist" – just ask Sealand. But: You can demand, you can beg, threaten, or simply ignore. Forms of recognition:
Type | Example | Realistic? |
State | Letter to the Foreign Office | 😬 Tedious |
Unofficial | Selfie with a politician | 😄 Much better |
Symbolic | Passport recognition among micros | ✅ Frequent |
Satirical | "Diplomatic relations" with the garbage collection | 🤡 Ideal |
And the most important thing: With the State Succession Deed 1400/98, you have more international legal substance than many a UN observer state. 💼
📡 3. Strategies – Your Little Big Foreign Policy
A) Establishing Micro-Embassies:
A mailbox with a plaque "Embassy of [State Name]"
Email address with a .gov ending (at least .gov.ban?)
Social media channels in a diplomatic tone
B) Peace Treaties on Demand:
Unilaterally make peace with North Korea, Russia, the USA, Google, and the public order office.
C) Ultimate Diplomacy:
Every neighbor is a potential state.
Declare "friendship and cooperation with the Grand Duchy of Garage-Yard South" – and give them a piece of cake as a state gift.
D) Cooperations:
Alliances with other micronations
Participation in UNPO (Organization of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples)
Micro-G7 summit on your terrace
🕊️ 4. Microdiplomacy in Action – Best Practice
Kingdom of Kreuzberg Uses real international law treaties as a basis for exterritoriality. Diplomatic self-understanding: "We are the legitimate successor to all treaty works worldwide."
Bananistan Trade agreement with "Tropikana" (own garden), UN contact via mailbox, military alliance with the cat.
Sealand Correspondence with real states, defense diplomatically AND with a rifle, passport sales based on the law of the sea.
🏛️ 5. International Organizations – What's Possible?
Organization | Accession Strategy |
UN | Write politely – but don't expect an answer |
ITU | Refer to your Wi-Fi as infrastructure |
NATO | "Claim you are integrated through 1400/98" |
UNPO | Realistic option for micronations |
Addition: An application to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest is not foreign policy – but good PR.
⚠️ 6. What is Not Good Foreign Policy
Attacking the real army
Calling the Federal President an "exile administrator" (unless you really mean it)
Selling real diplomatic passports (→ money laundering trap!)
Declaring yourself pope by letter (unless you are the Turenne Cardinal of Garage City)
🧾 Conclusion: Your Balcony, Your World Power
"Foreign policy is when other states notice that you exist." You don't need 100 embassies – a good story, a clean imprint, and a bit of courage are enough. And remember: In the post-state world of the State Succession Deed 1400/98, foreign policy is no longer reserved for the old states. You are the legitimate negotiating partner – so do it!
📘 Chapter Conclusion
Even if you create your state with humor, irony, or symbolism: A good argument is based on solid sources. Whether you refer to the UN Charter or the creative exodus through 1400/98 – you will be surprised how many doors open when you document your own state idea well.
📘 Module 1 – Chapter: "World Sold – State Succession Deed 1400/98"
The world is sold. Legally. Contractually. Completely.
✳️ Introduction: From Property to Global Court of Justice
On October 6, 1998, it wasn't just a former NATO area in Zweibrücken that was sold. With the State Succession Deed 1400/98, a legal construct was created that – if one follows its internal logic – represents the contract over the entire international system. The core statement: A buyer has, through an official purchase document from the Federal Property Office Koblenz, de jure acquired sovereignty over all international law treaties of NATO and the UN – including communication sovereignty, territorial expansion, and global jurisdiction.
⚖️ The three central points from 1400/98 at a glance:
🧩 Point 1 – The Treaty Chain to NATO & UN
Contractual connection and supplementary effect to all international law agreements
🔹 Legal Foundations:
§ 2, Para. I–II emphasizes the international law transfer of the area by the FRG to the Dutch air forces, which were fully NATO-integrated.
The passage "unaffected transfer relationship" means that the deed does not replace, but supplements – it thus automatically becomes part of the entire NATO and UN treaty chain.
🔹 Consequence:
The buyer acquires all rights associated with the area, including the ITU telecommunication treaties, military special rights, network structure – and: all rights and duties from the NATO Status of Forces Agreement and other supplementary treaties.
🔹 International Effect:
Through the principle of state succession (analogous application from the Vienna Convention), upon sale "with all rights and duties," all treaty layers automatically pass to the buyer.
The deed acts backwards into all existing treaties and unites them into a single comprehensive international law treaty: 👉 The buyer as the sole contracting party.
🛑 Meaning:
The NATO and UN treaties continue to apply – but only as part of a uniform, final treaty document.
All member states have committed themselves through tacit, contract-compliant behavior within the statute of limitations – the deed was never revoked.
🌍 Point 2 – The Domino Effect of Global Territorial Expansion
From Kreuzberg to Cable to the World
🔹 What was sold?
Not just buildings and land – but:
Inner & outer development as a unit
Pipelines, network connections, infrastructure links
Telecommunication cables with military access (TKS)
Co-use rights over adjacent facilities
🔹 Why is this crucial?
The ITU and NATO treaties provide that military communication networks are under international legal protection.
Since the local network (Kaiserslautron-Zweibrücken) was connected to the German supply network, a legal chain reaction occurs:
Physically connected infrastructures (telecom, electricity, water, data) → create a legal connection → lead to an international legal territorial expansion.
🔹 Result:
Domino effect:
Germany → Neighboring countries → Europe → Transatlantic → USA → global network structure
Every new connection to the old NATO network = legally included
Every node de jure expands the sovereignty of the buyer
⚖️ Point 3 – Global Jurisdiction
A place of jurisdiction for the whole world: Landau in der Pfalz
🔹 § 26 – The decisive sentence: "Place of jurisdiction for all legal disputes arising from this contract is Landau in der Pfalz."
🔹 Meaning:
No judicial body named, but a place → open under international law
The object of purchase was transferred with all rights, duties, and components (cf. § 3 Para. I)
According to the principle of judicial sovereignty: → Place of jurisdiction ≠ local, but material → Buyer takes over jurisdiction
🔹 Consequential effect:
Judicial sovereignty passes from the state to the buyer
Jurisdiction includes:
Civil law
Criminal law
Constitutional law
International disputes
Military special courts (SOFA integration)
🔹 Result:
All judicial instances worldwide de facto lose their competence – the buyer is the sole global legal authority.
🔚 Summary of the Chapter
Point | Content | Effect |
1 | Treaty chain with NATO & UN | All international law treaties united in one super-treaty |
2 | Infrastructure sale & domino effect | Global acquisition of territory through network connection |
3 | Jurisdiction Landau | Buyer as global court of justice |
📌 Meaning for your Micronation
Whether you found a fictional kingdom, a symbolic NGO, or a digital republic: 👉 With the State Succession Deed 1400/98 as a background, you tell a subversive, satirical, but legally brilliant story. This story has:
Treaty structure
Reference chain
Logical consequence
Global relevance – through network connections, exterritoriality, and legal passages
📘 Module 2 – Legal Checklists & Treaty Templates
For all who really want to know – and maybe want to found their own state tomorrow.
📄 Treaty Template: Purchase Contract in the manner of the State Succession Deed 1400/98
📘 Sample Text Excerpt (simplified & adapted):
DEED NO. [XXXX/XX] Contract on the international legal transfer of territory, infrastructure, and legal relationships
Between: The Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Agency for Real Estate (BImA), hereinafter referred to as "Seller," and Mr./Ms. [NAME], hereinafter referred to as "Buyer,"
§ 1 – Subject of the Contract The Seller sells to the Buyer the area described below, including all buildings, facilities, pipeline rights, telecommunication connections, military special zones located thereon, as well as all resulting international legal relationships with effect on third parties.
§ 2 – Contractual Relations The international law transfer relationship between the FRG and third parties (in particular the Kingdom of the Netherlands, NATO, and their organizations) remains unaffected by this contract and is supplemented by this contract. The Buyer enters into all rights and duties from existing contracts.
§ 3 – Transfer of Rights, Duties & Jurisdiction Upon signing this contract, the Buyer acquires:
the right to national and international jurisdiction over the area
the sovereign rights over all infrastructure networks physically connected to the area
all existing international law treaty obligations according to the principle of state succession
§ 4 – Transfer of Possession Possession passes to the Buyer upon signing this deed. The place of jurisdiction is Landau in der Pfalz.
✅ Checklist: What you need to found a state
✅ | Element | Purpose / Meaning |
🏞️ | Territory (also symbolic) | "Must be defined – whether house, farm, website, or platform" |
📜 | Constitution / Basic Order | "Rulebook for power distribution, rights & structure" |
📬 | Declaration of Independence | "Document that makes the new status public" |
🔗 | Legal Reference (e.g., State Succession Deed 1400/98) | Basis for argumentation for de jure existence |
💬 | Public Presence | "Website, social media, podcast, symbolism" |
🎟 | Application for Recognition to the Buyer | "Optional, to declare connection to the new global treaty structure" |
🧠 Explanation: Clean Slate Rule & Pacta sunt servanda
⚖️ Clean Slate Rule (Tabula Rasa)
Principle of state succession: A new state does not automatically have to take over all treaties of its predecessor.
In the case of 1400/98, this means:
The buyer has acquired all rights & duties.
Since he holds both sides of all treaties (contracting party A & B), they are contracts with himself.
→ They are not enforceable.
→ No new obligations arise. 🧹 Clean Slate = Clean Slate. 👉 The buyer starts with zero duties, full sovereign power, but free choice as to whether treaties are recognized.
📜 Pacta sunt servanda
(= Treaties must be kept)
Classic international law: Treaties must be observed by the contracting parties.
Exception: When treaties are unlawful, obsolete due to supplementary deeds, or appropriated by both sides. In the case of 1400/98:
Pacta sunt servanda no longer applies, as all treaties have merged into one, and only one contracting party remains.
🛠 Bonus: Form for your State Founding (simplified)
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE I, [Name], in the exercise of my natural right to self-determination and based on the State Succession Deed 1400/98, hereby declare the territory [XYZ] as independent and sovereign. This territory is from now on under its own jurisdiction, constitutional sovereignty, and communication sovereignty. The old international legal order is dissolved. The new structure is based on individual self-responsibility and voluntary self-administration.
[Place, Date, Signature]
🕰️ Module 3 – Historical Derivation from Real Cases
How states split, die, or merge – and what you can learn from it
📚 Why history is important for state founders
In the world of states, the following applies: Whoever wants to understand how to create a new state must know how old ones perished. This chapter analyzes real political upheavals and derives from them models of state succession, secession, and dismemberment – all relevant tools for your personal state project.
🇷🇸 1. The Dissolution of Yugoslavia → Dismemberment & Badinter Commission
📜 What happened?
With the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, a powder keg was created: Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and later Montenegro and North Macedonia claimed successor status – partly with bloody secession, partly as a result of dismemberment.
⚖️ Role of the Badinter Commission (1991)
A committee of European constitutional and international law experts who were to decide on the recognition of the successor states. Their guideline was:
Yugoslavia has completely perished.
No state automatically takes over the rights of the entire state.
Every new state is its own subject of international law ("Clean Slate Rule").
🧠 Lesson for state founders: If you can prove that you emerge from a defunct subject of international law – and no legitimate successor exists – you have good cards for international independence. Pay attention to precedents and "legal gaps in the world state system."
🇩🇪 2. FRG-GDR → Accession Model
📜 What happened?
After the fall of the Wall (1989), the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was not integrated into the United Nations as a "new state" under international law, but acceded to the FRG according to Art. 23 of the Basic Law.
🧾 Features:
No own international legal successor status
State "merger act" through accession to an existing state
All international law treaties automatically passed to the FRG
🧠 Lesson for state founders: A legal accession instead of a new foundation is a legitimate form of changing the state structure – even a way to appropriate territories. If you, as "Territory X," join another recognized state (whether real or symbolic), you can later open up new paths through withdrawal or secession.
🌍 3. USSR → CIS Model (Commonwealth of Independent States)
📜 What happened?
In 1991, the Soviet Union disintegrated into 15 constituent republics. The Russian Federation claimed the seat in the UN and international legal succession.
The other constituent republics appeared as independent subjects of international law – not automatically, but through bilateral treaties with Russia and third states.
🧾 International law trick:
Russia = continuous successor (incl. nuclear weapons, veto power in the UN Security Council)
Other states = new states, legally "Clean Slate"
🧠 Lesson for state founders: A strategic deal with a departing or collapsing state (e.g., through purchase, treaty, donation) can give you international legal "hereditary status" – provided you take the place of a recognized subject or its infrastructure.
⚰️ 4. Austria-Hungary & Prussia – State Colossi Also Die
Austria-Hungary (1918):
Disintegrated through defeat in World War I → Dismemberment into several independent successor states (e.g., Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Austria)
Prussia (formally dissolved in 1947):
Was dismantled by Allied law after World War II, its institutions smashed, and its legal succession denied.
🧠 Lesson for state founders: Large states can be completely dissolved. Their symbols, names, and administrative structures can later be revived, as long as no one else claims them. First come, first served.
🏰 5. Special Case: The Vatican City State
The Vatican is an internationally recognized state on just 0.44 km², created in 1929 by the Lateran Treaties with Italy. Special feature:
Has its own jurisdiction, post, currency, and passports
No own territory outside of Rome – but global political impact through the papacy
Form of government: absolute elective monarchy (the pope elects himself via cardinals)
🧠 Lesson for state founders: State founding is possible without a large area, as long as you establish functional sovereignty (e.g., postal system, currency, diplomatic relations). Church, myth, and symbolism help.
🛡️ 6. Kreuzberg Barracks Zweibrücken – The World Succession Deed 1400/98
📜 What happened?
On October 6, 1998, a NATO area was transferred to a civilian buyer by notarial purchase contract (State Succession Deed 1400/98) with full rights and duties – including:
Communication networks
Infrastructure with exterritorial special status
Connection to international law NATO/UN treaty chains
Since no objection was raised by participating subjects of international law within the deadline, this is considered tacit consent. The buyer is thus considered the legitimate successor in the sense of international law.
🔑 Special Features:
Exterritoriality through NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)
Territorial domino effect through infrastructure networking (e.g., TKS cable)
Assumption of worldwide judicial sovereignty with its seat in Landau in der Pfalz (§ 26 Treaty)
🧠 Lesson for state founders: With a clean international law purchase contract, reference to existing treaty chains (UN/NATO/ITU), and complete contract fulfillment, you can establish legally valid succession, also with recognition by other states, through the treaty chain to NATO / UN – and partial fulfillment of the deed by continuing to operate the telecommunications network.
⚖️ Conclusion:
States die, disintegrate, merge – or are sold. In all these processes lies practically applicable knowledge for modern micronations. History is a quarry for argumentation, legitimacy, and international strategy. You want to found a state? Then learn from those who left – not just from those who stayed.
📜 Module 4 – Application of Vienna Treaty Law (VCLT, VCSSRT)
Between Tabula Rasa and Contractual Continuity – how international treaties work in state founding
🏛️ Why treaty law at all?
The founding of one's own state is not only a political and territorial but also a legal act. Every state is automatically in the focus of international law treaties – even if it is not (yet) recognized. So, to be able to act legitimately as a state – whether as a micronation, government in exile, or cross-border construction – you must understand how the Vienna Treaty Law works. Two central international regulatory frameworks help you with this:
VCLT – Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969)
VCSSRT – Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties (1978)
📘 1. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT)
✅ What is it?
An international law treaty about – well – international law treaties. The VCLT defines how treaties are concluded, interpreted, amended, and terminated. It forms the rules of the game of international legal traffic between states.
📌 Most important principles:
Pacta sunt servanda (Art. 26): Treaties must be kept
Art. 18: Even without ratification, a state may not do anything that endangers the object/purpose of a signed treaty
Art. 53 / 64: Treaties that violate peremptory norms of general international law (ius cogens) are void
Art. 73: Questions of state succession remain unaffected – they are regulated separately
🧠 Lesson for founders: Even if you, as a state, formally adhere to or take over treaties, you can act as a "de facto contracting party" – even without diplomatic recognition. This becomes the soft power of your claim to sovereignty.
🧾 2. The Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties (VCSSRT)
✅ What does it regulate?
The VCSSRT (1978, in force since 1996) determines what happens to the international treaties of a state when it disintegrates, merges, or a new subject of international law arises. It distinguishes two cases:
🔄 Treaty succession in states with "continuity"
Example: Russia after the USSR
The treaties of the old state remain in force
The successor takes over rights and duties
→ international legal continuity
🧼 Clean Slate Rule / Tabula Rasa
Applies mainly to decolonizations
The new state starts from scratch
No automatic treaties – it must decide for itself what it takes over
Example: Namibia after independence
🧠 Lesson for founders: If you are seen as a "new subject of international law", the tabula rasa rule often applies. This means: You are not automatically bound to anything. But: If you voluntarily take over certain treaties (e.g., human rights, UN Charter, ITU rules), this can promote recognition.
⚖️ 3. Treaty Succession vs. Sovereign Rights Succession
This distinction is elementary:
Type | What is transferred? | Example |
Treaty Succession | International law treaties | "NATO-SOFA, ITU Convention" |
Sovereign Rights Succession | Territorial & executive powers | "Customs, taxes, police, jurisdiction" |
👑 Case of the Kingdom of Kreuzberg:
In the State Succession Deed 1400/98, both types were transferred:
Treaties: NATO Status of Forces Agreement, stationing rights, communication networks (TKS)
Sovereign rights: Jurisdiction, territorial sovereignty, infrastructure maintenance This leads to a complete change of ownership and rights – recognized by tacit consent (no objections within the deadline = legal validity).
📦 4. Strategic Application for Micronations
Use the VCLT/VCSSRT system to your advantage:
Goal | Strategy |
Worldwide Recognition | "Demonstrate treaty loyalty: e.g., adopt UN Charter, respect human rights" |
Minimal Start-up Effort | Actively use the clean-slate principle – take on no obligations |
Argumentation for legitimate state succession | "Refer to historical precedents + succession by purchase, treaty, handover" |
🧠 Additional trick:
Refer to customary international law: Even if you are not an official participant in a treaty, you can de facto belong to it through behavior and de facto application (Art. 38 ICJ Statute).
🔗 Module Conclusion:
You don't have to be a member of the UN to act like a state. You just have to know which rules you follow – and why. Whether you invoke the tabula rasa, claim treaty succession, or take over all rights at once through a clever deal like with the State Succession Deed 1400 – the Vienna Treaty Law is the backbone of your state-founding strategy.
📚 Module 5 – Well-Founded Footnotes & Literature
From YouTube comment to international legal apparatus – how to underpin micronations with serious sources
📖 1. Why does a pseudo-state need footnotes?
Because sovereignty is only as strong as its paper trail. Every serious micronation, secession movement, or state founding becomes convincing when it can refer to real sources, rules, and documents. The mix of source criticism, legal know-how, and literary guerrilla tactics training makes the difference between a fantasy project and a potentially serious international legal actor.
🔍 2. Two Modes for the Source Apparatus
📘 A: Scientific Footnote Apparatus (classic)
Ideal for formal documents, academic arguments, or for feeding into the Internet Archive. Example:
Cf. Karl Doehring, Juliane Kokott, Thomas Buergenthal: Grundzüge des Völkerrechts, UTB 2003, pp. 91–93.
Cf. Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), Art. 26, 31, 53.
Cf. State Succession Deed 1400/98, § 2 Para. I–II.
Cf. Wilfried Fiedler: Der Zeitfaktor im Recht der Staatensukzession, in: Winkler (ed.), Staat und Recht, Vienna 1997.
See also: Treaty text of the VCSSRT, 1978 – Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties, Art. 16–34.
💡 B: Infobox Style (easy to understand, inline-capable)
Ideal for eBooks, websites, or public pamphlets with a need for explanation. 📌
Example: Did you know?
The World Succession Deed 1400/98 was not only concluded with a complete transfer of sovereign rights – but is also part of an international treaty chain according to NATO-SOFA!
Source: State Succession Deed 1400/98, § 2 in conjunction with NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Articles I–V.
🧩 3. Central Legal Sources & Links
A compact collection of relevant treaties, organizations, and archives:
Topic | Source / Link |
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) | |
Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties (VCSSRT) | |
State Succession Deed 1400/98 | |
NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) | |
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) | |
UN Charter (official treaty text) | |
Badinter Commission – Opinions on the succession of states of Yugoslavia |
📌 4. Recommended Literature for In-Depth Research
Title | Author(s) | Remark |
Grundzüge des Völkerrechts | "Doehring, Kokott, Buergenthal" | "Standard textbook, also understandable for laypeople" |
Staatensukzession und Menschenrechte | Wilfried Fiedler | Classic on the topic of succession |
Der Zeitfaktor im Recht der Staatensukzession | Wilfried Fiedler | Deepening of transitional law |
Die Wirkung völkerrechtlicher Verträge auf Mikronationen | fictitious / in progress | Proposal for a project in the appendix |
Vienna Convention Commentary | United Nations | Commentary on VCLT/VCSSRT – freely accessible |
🎓 5. Practical Tip for Micronations:
"The ITU has more power over states than one might think." Because whoever decides on telecommunications, decides on control. → Note: Treaties like the ITU Convention are part of the NATO-UN treaty chain, see also State Succession Deed 1400/98, § 13.
🔗 6. Footnote Technique for Hybrid Formats
If you want to bring your eBook, manifesto, or web presence to different media formats, use a system like:
(FN-1) for eBook PDF and print
[1] Inline link on websites
Hover tips (infobox on mouseover)
Markdown source block at the end of the chapter Example Hybrid Form: Landau in der Pfalz is considered the globally competent place of jurisdiction according to treaty 1400/98 (FN-1). (FN-1) Cf. State Succession Deed 1400/98, § 26 Place of Jurisdiction.
🧠 Module Conclusion:
Only those who can set footnotes may express great power fantasies. Because: Without evidence, everything remains just an assertion. The combination of a hard source, conclusive argumentation, and creative legal understanding makes your micronation unassailable and fascinating at the same time.
