Would you want to be at the founding of a new country?

Certainly, new Mars or Moon colony. Federal Republic. Start with as many as possible.

Fuck no.

I stand in awe of the founders of this country. They had vision, yet were able to make concessions that allowed the country to survive.
They did the right thing. I don’t know if I could have made those concessions.

I’ll pass.

The novel I’m working on briefly describes some remaking of this country. I had fun with it, but I’m not sharing any spoilers.

The only country I would consider making would have to belong to me, so other inhabitants by invitation only.

To establish my own country, it would have to be Bir Tawil. It is the one habitable unclaimed land on Earth.
To claim Bir Tawil, a government would have to be established, and permanent residents living there. Permission to be recognized would have to be obtained.

So, claiming Bir Tawil would require people who don’t mind the climate living there. I would have to explore it carefully to see whether it has any natural resources. So far, nobody has bothered. Next, I would consult Sudan and Egypt, to see if either would allow me to claim, or use a narrow swath of land to the coast. That would not bring fresh water, nor sea water to my country, so no fish either, but it would provide coastal access by boat or seaplane, rather than a lengthy ride through treacherous desert.

A water source would have to be discovered deep in the terrain, or somehow provided.

I think the only way to have residents would be to open a bank. With no potential for agriculture, and not likely any business willing to build there, a bank could be established with protection against law enforcement investigation. A few wealthy people might be interested in using the facility in return for declaring citizenship. If I could make available transfer of all African currencies, it could become a go between.
It would leave me a life of leisure. Nobody would be around much, but I would have plenty to have responsibility over.

@Patty_Melt I looked it up. Apparently it’s not uninhabited.

“Many people claim that Bir Tawil is uninhabited, but frankly, it is anything but uninhabited. The Ababda tribe considers it their native homeland and are fiercely protective of it.”

https://www.youngpioneertours.com/strange-tale-bir-tawil/

However, you could buy an island. https://www.letsbuyanisland.com/

I’d like to see Scotland re-established as an independent country. We lost our independence with the Act of Union in 1707 but the election of Boris as Prime Minister and the vote in favour of Brexit were the last straws. Scotland voted strongly to remain a part of Europe and I think we should re-join as an independent country. There is a realistic possibility of this happening in my lifetime.

@flutherother Well I hope so for your sake, but but but – what happens to the nukes and Royal Navy and RAF if that happens? Won’t that toss a monkey wrench into UK defense mechanisms? As a Yank I guess I have no right to comment, but it’s a looney world, and we need all the strong allies we can muster – just sayin’.

@snowberry, your research is good, but they are considered squatters. I don’t know how much area they occupy, but they exist. They have no property ownership or government. I’m not sure, but they may actually be nomadic.

Others have made claims, but if not recognized, no claim sticks. One American guy claimed it so he could call his daughter a princess.
Some guy from India went there, dropped some seeds, dribbled water on them, and posted a declaration on fb. That didn’t work either.

@Nomore_lockout At the moment the nukes are based just 25 miles from Scotland’s biggest city and I’d feel happier if they were removed.