*This article was taken from the May issue of Wired magazine.
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Living under someone else's dominion? Serf. It's time to start your own country, and Carne Ross, who resigned as UN strategy co-ordinator over the Iraq war, can help. As director of Independent Diplomat, a New York-based international relations consultancy that helped Kosovo establish independence, he knows nation-building inside-out. But he warns that the road to statehood is difficult: "There is no established process -- it is profoundly political." Here are his tips.
Play by the rules Meet the criteria outlined in Article 1of the 1933 Montevideo Convention (which applies to all subjects of international law): a permanent population; defined territory, and control of the territory; the capacity to enter into relations with other states. These are not binding -- "You can have a state which is recognised by many other states but does not control its territory, such as Palestine" -- but generally it would be hard to operate without them .
Declare independence Declare independence by announcing your parliament and leaders, and ensure that this is reported by the press.
Achieve international recognition
"Send your foreign minister or president abroad to deploy arguments you think will help," says Ross. Start with friendly neighbouring countries, as they will be most concerned about your stability and effects on them. Next, visit countries of the UN Security Council to help you...
Join the UN It's not a prerequisite (Switzerland didn't join until 2002), but if you want to be an international player, send an application letter to the Secretary-General. In it you must accept the obligations of the UN Charter. This is referred to the Security Council, which decides whether you are a "peace-loving state able to carry out these obligations". If it agrees you are, it will recommend you for membership; the General Assembly has the final say.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
