Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty

Description

Political disagreement is a fact of life. It can prompt people to stand for public office and agitate for political change. Others take a different route; they start their own nation. Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty is the first comprehensive examination of the phenomenon of people purporting to secede and create their own country. It analyses why micronations are not states for the purposes of international law, considers the factors that motivate individuals to separate and found their own nation, examines the legal justifications that they offer and explores the responses of recognised sovereign states. In doing so, this book develops a rich body of material through which to reflect on conventional understandings of statehood, sovereignty and legitimate authority. Authored in a lively and accessible style, Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty will be valuable reading for scholars and general audiences.

Harry Hobbs is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney Faculty of Law. Dr Hobbs' recent scholarship has explored ideas of sovereignty through the lens of Indigenous peoples' rights, and he is co-Chair of the American Society of International Law Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group. George Williams AO is a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the Anthony Mason Professor and a Scientia Professor at UNSW Sydney. He has served as Dean of UNSW Law and held an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship. He has written widely on constitutional law and has appeared as a barrister in the High Court of Australia on freedom of speech, freedom from racial discrimination and the rule of law.