Issue 83 Sea Steading May 23, 2013

This concept was first brought to my attention on John Stossel’s show on Fox Business Network and again in the magazine Foreign Policy. It is a unique and a very innovative idea that I personally would like to see occur. But enough talk, here is what it is all about.

What is it?: Sea Steading is the idea to take an oil rig or a cruise ship and convert it into a tiny nation state. In essence it could have representation in the U.N. It works by dragging the oil rig or having the cruise ship in international waters. There, the people living on board would create a self sustaining society away from the corruption of the current governments around the globe. Due to the location in international waters, the people will also be immune to all laws created by other governments around the globe. But what is the goal?

The Goal: The goal is for each sea stead to create their own government. Each one would try out something different and see how it develops. In practice, the people aboard would dictate the type of government aboard each vessel and then compare notes with other members of the larger sea steading communities. From there it is all about developing the most effective form of government and economy whilst maintaining freedom. Basically it is a massive science experiment for designing the best government and economy. From there they hope that there land based counterparts will copy aspects of what works and then improve themselves. Also, if a sea steading community fails the people are either free to leave or change governments.

Worries: For one, the sea steading communities must be as self sustaining as possible. If they should have to tow themselves into another nations territorial waters then all the people there would be subject to those other countries laws. So either they make it so they never have to physically bring the community to land again, or they are fully recognized as an independent nation. Technology does allow for almost complete sustainability however with respect to recycling, fuel, and energy production. Food is a concern, but some form of farm or other form of food source must be created to make the system work.

The other worry is the weather. On land, the weather is less vicious than at sea. Ocean currents and strong waves can completely destroy a sea stead. They have designed oil rigs to withstand certain weather conditions closer to land, but at sea in open water the difficulty and the chances of survival if something does happen are very limited. Rescue is hundreds of miles off shore and so those people may be in for there own version of the "Poseidon Adventure" (it’s a movie for those who don't know). So hopefully these hurdles can be overcome in some way.

Conclusion: Conceptually, this is a fantastic idea. People want to use the scientific method to analyze and create the best form of government and economy. Heck, it might even be a precursor to orbiting colonies having there own self governments as well (those interviewed thought of this as well and are busy making plans). I do hope this idea comes to pass and that societies based on self determination develop that overcome humanities instincts to clamor for power and control. Would I live on one of these? Yes, but only if my country the United States finally collapses under its own weight.