participant-3927, 5:02 AM, March 3
It’s too complicated, I followed though up to the first carnival example. The premise is wrong, becaues it takes statism as a given: the winners will benefit at the expense of the losers. That’s true in a socialist democracy, where all the voting is about justifying robbing the losers. But we have to start in a new country on the right footing: on the principle of individiual rights. No amount of support (via voting or legislation) can take away the rights of an individual.
participant-3927, 5:04 AM, March 3
There is no terra-nullius there, but I was just looking at a map where there are weak spots surrounded by strong interests. Mongolia’s population is the size of a city, but it’s geographically as large as a Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is now a center of a lot of financial activity. To the south is China, and to the North of it is Russia; all three countries meet at the corner where Mongolia meets Kazaksthan. It seems to me that this is an interesting corner that can engage all these countries to protect it from each other, if Mongolia can be convinced to give up for an experiment in freedom, as a protectorate.
Mongolia might agree, because it has nothing else going for it. We could make Mongolia the suzerain of the region (which will be a protectorate). The region will be of interest to these three counttries, if they put investmens into it (and whey will, since it will be an island of Captialism there). So each country will step with a foot into it, and will prevent Mongolia nationalizing it (going back on its word).
We could call the region Western Mongolia. The name is a play on words, because it’s both on the west edge of Mongolia, and also will have Western values. Having Mongolia in the name will PR that Mongolia is not losing sovereign territory (but in fact it will).
participant-4603, 6:16 AM, March 3
The concern is it would be a landlocked country or, depending on its positioning, even a double-landlocked country like Uzbekistan.
I’m not sure if there are many navigable rivers, but that location is likely near the center of the world population. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_population, which makes it strategic and useful.
The other side of Mongolia, in the direction of Manchuria and Korea, reminds me of the old Jewish Oblast that Stalin tried setting up.
participant-3927, 7:01 AM, March 3
But all imports will come from China anyway. Immigration from Russia and China
participant-4603, 7:35 AM, March 3
So then, there will likely need to be good relations with the People’s Republic of China. I mean, there’s no question it’s a strategic part of the world.
There won’t be any labor shortages there, that’s for sure. Depending on the size, I could even see a situation where there’s heavy industry set up in the new country.
participant-3927, 12:59 PM, March 3
I think China is easy. It just wants to export products. The conflict with China is a made up problem created by Trump. Prior to him, there was no conflict.
participant-7471, 1:24 PM, March 3
China is a hostile power to your project. Unless you want to create a state with scam centers run by the Triads, China is not the right choice for you. Taiwan is a better option if you seek diplomatic recognition.
participant-7471, 1:34 PM, March 3
The most realistic option for all projects aiming to establish new countries in favor of laissez-faire is to found the new country on an island territory and declare neutrality like Switzerland.
participant-3927, 3:11 PM, March 3
How can it be neutral to
Iran? Will it have free speech? Cartoons that mock Islam ?
participant-7471, 3:13 PM, March 3
Why should an island country care about what happens in Iran?
participant-3927, 3:14 PM, March 3
Not a country, individuals living in it . Will it protect them from Iran’s wrath ? Iran will care.
participant-7471, 3:14 PM, March 3
“like Switzerland”
participant-3927, 3:15 PM, March 3
can you publish a cartoon of Muhammad in Switzerland ?
participant-7471, 3:15 PM, March 3
Yeah
participant-3927, 3:16 PM, March 3
Why it’s not happening then ?
participant-7471, 3:19 PM, March 3
Charlie Hebdo is sold in Switzerland
participant-3927, 1:55 AM, March 4
Yes, and I was thinking of Birobidzhan as a potential place too. That place is remote, but it saw the civilizing hand of the Jews. It’s not on anyone’s radar.
participant-3927, 1:58 AM, March 4
participant-3927, 1:58 AM, March 4
participant-4603, 9:14 AM, March 4
I don’t think it’s outrageous to propose its revitalization, and from what I understand, one of the big obstacles to its settlement was even its remoteness, or all the obvious issues with central planning.
But the terrain itself, as I remember reading about it, is thick with forestry. I was reading some accounts of settlers to the area complaining about mosquitoes—no joke. Much like those attempting to settle Gornja Siga on the Danube, their stories included wild boars and things of that nature.
participant-7471, 10:08 AM, March 4
There’s no port.
participant-3927, 6:06 PM, March 4
The Washington Post apparently has switched direction to (rightly) critique Trump and his administration. Feb 28 opinion piece by Dana Milbank, with quotes by Ilya Somin from Cato, is excellent. (I’m not sure how this squares with Bezos supporting Trump inauguration.)
participant-3927, 10:25 PM, March 4
Organization that is already planning how the land will be divided if Russian Federation undergoes balkanization
participant-3927, 10:26 PM, March 4
participant-3927, 10:31 PM, March 4
So an approach can be to establish dialog with the people of any of these new-name future countries. All of these people are now living outside of Russia, otherwise, they couldn’t be openly involved with the project. This means they can be approached, they are not yet in the king seat.
participant-7471, 10:35 AM, March 5
I like political fiction, but a bit of pragmatism is needed if you want to get things done
participant-7471, 10:36 AM, March 5
WaPo, like all legacy media, is garbage
participant-7471, 10:37 AM, March 5
This scenario of the dissolution of the Russian Federation is completely unrealistic
participant-3927, 7:22 PM, March 7
A french senator, in a nine minute speech, has assigned correct names to facts of reality. His name is Claude Malhuret. Sample from the English translation of the speech transcription:
Washington has become the court of Nero, a fiery emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine-fueled jester in charge of purging the civil service.
This is a tragedy for the free world, but it is first and foremost a tragedy for the United States. Trump’s message is that there is no point in being his ally since he will not defend you, he will impose more customs duties on you than on his enemies and will threaten to seize your territories while supporting the dictatorships that invade you.
The king of the deal is showing what the art of the deal is all about. He thinks he will intimidate China by lying down before Putin, but Xi Jinping, faced with such a shipwreck, is probably accelerating preparations for the invasion of Taiwan.
Never in history has a President of the United States capitulated to the enemy. Never has anyone supported an aggressor against an ally. Never has anyone trampled on the American Constitution, issued so many illegal decrees, dismissed judges who could have prevented him from doing so, dismissed the military general staff in one fell swoop, weakened all checks and balances, and taken control of social media.
… The Trumpists are no longer in their majesty. They control the executive, the Parliament, the Supreme Court and social networks.
But in American history, the freedom fighters have always prevailed. They are beginning to raise their heads.
participant-3927, 9:48 PM, March 8
I have added to the page a table with key Objectivist debates.