New answers tagged modern-age
3
An ordinary person has no chance against a waterbender who is aware that they are a danger. High pressure water can cut steel, and the waterbender might be able to accelerate a stream of water to extreme velocities while it remains in their range so that it goes through the head of any enemy within several meters like a knife through butter with perfect ...
1
Your guide to dealing with a rogue Waterbender for the Average Citizen
It Depends
The answer really depends heavily on the specific conflict, as the average joe is not going to beat a water bender if they are near a massive source of water (Like a lake or river), and even in their own homes the pipes could be dangerous if the waterbender can bend the pipes ...
-3
Our water-bending friend here has been neigh unstoppable in the face of every foe heretofore. But alas, what goes up must also come down. The universe is just and as for our water-bending friend like the rest of us, is also the author of its own demise. There is no karma but ones own ignorance. Fate, a cruel mistress. Tides, turned by a savvy Joe Rogan ...
1
Can I posit Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China? Okay, not that small an island at some 36,000 km2, but because of its wealth and the services it offers it has some big influential 'friends' who are prepared to back it's continuing independence from the People's Republic of China - mainland China. If Taiwan didn't have huge economic wealth and offer ...
5
Convince major world powers to set you up to their benefit.
The clear moral is that the British have been past masters in this sort of area for centuries - enlisting their support seems likely to be useful. What could go wrong?
Singapore was established by the British as a counter to the current Malayan Sultan.
They took a relatively insignificant ...
4
My old answer to a different question answers this exactly.
To summarize:
Aggression against it would create an incident with another major government as well, as any claim of territory would apply to both. Each would rather leave the status quo then have the other claim it officially.
Big corporations actively do not want a legal precedent to be set that ...
8
Your billionaire can get himself an island, but not through military means. He can pick a poor nation, and an isolated useless island. He can bribe the rulers, and make a story about creating jobs in tourism industry. Then he can build his own billionaire playground, "with blackjack and hookers" (and drugs too).
He could also pick an island populated by ...
0
The (other) answers seem to leave out the possibility of an "unthinkable" defense.
If the gazillionaire island owner convinces the leader of a large neighboring country he controls a weapon of mass destruction near (enough) to their capital, he can probably get them to agree to a treaty in which they agree to honor, and protect with their military, his ...
0
Sure, if they're prepared to fight back.
Your billionaire just has to be prepared to give a lot of money to some very bad people to retaliate against their enemies.
At some point, the population is going to get tired of getting suicide-bombed all the time over some stupid rock in the middle of the ocean.
4
No
There are many issues with trying to defend a small island from a determined attacker.
Supplies can easily be cut off by even a small patrol boat, leaving the island entirely isolated.
The small size gives no defensive depth whatsover, and very little hiding space. Satellite surveillance will give an attacker a very good picture while the defenders ...
3
Bribes and Secrecy
This is an answer based on The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell. In the book, the protagonist is stranded on what appears to be an abandoned island, but meets the owner of the island, Zaroff, who challenges him to become the most dangerous game. If the protagonist can stay alive for three days, Zaroff would let him go free. Zaroff ...
18
No
While the rich fellow might be able to buy insulation (perhaps even effective immunity) from local laws, that's not sovereignty. The rich fellow is NOT the head of an independent state, does not get a vote at the UN, etc. World maps still show the island as part of the real, recognized nation. When the recognized nation enforces its laws over the island ...
1
The Principality of Sealand managed to make it work.
It was claimed while in international waters.
The extend of UK territorial waters was extended to include Sealand.
But it still exists as an "independent" (if not recognized by any other country) entity.
12
Could a small private island protect its sovereignty?
Yes, the only trick is to have powerful armed or monied (preferably both) friends to back you up. There are many small nations today who only retain sovereignty because they have a vote in international bodies.
Nauru for instance is 12 miles around, Niue 13 I think. Neither have anything worth taking ...
18
Money, a whole lot of money
Buy your independence from the government. One person cannot defend an island alone as you need to eat and sleep but for an impoverished country, a massive pile of cash would buy independence. If the owning country is a rich one, this isn't likely to work.
Any military action isn't going to work. A country has too much firepower ...
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