PRINCIPALITY OF SEALAND - NOBLE TITLE

The Principality of Sealand is a small platform, a remnant of World War II British defenses, occupied by a billionaire visionary whose attempts at self-determination have been hindered around every corner. The argument for Sealand’s sovereignty is about more than the future of the platform-nation. It is about the international legal community’s acceptance of the changing world, and the necessity of adapting certain terms and ideologies to grow alongside our changing planet. Complaints disfavoring Sealand’s statehood claims range from its man-made nature, its lack of a recognizable citizenry, and England’s de jure ownership of the territorial sea in which Sealand resides. These complaints are backed by scholarship, and neighboring nations allege that various judicial opinions support their stance. However, with the changing landscape of international law comes the inevitable recognition of Sealand’s sovereignty, or at least the claims of small, artificially constructed future nations in a similar setting. The argument for Sealand is the argument for the adaptation of international legal norms, and the evolving meaning of “sovereignty” on an international scale.