Earlier this year, a young Czech politician named Vít Jedlička staked his claim to a small piece of no-man's land on the border of Croatia and Serbia. He dubbed the 2.7-square-mile area "Liberland," and announced it as a new sovereign nation organized on libertarian principles.
Serbia and Croatia don't exactly agree with Jedlička as to whether or not his country exists, but that hasn't stopped nearly 10,000 Syrians looking to escape their war-torn country from applying for citizenship in Liberland. Residents of other troubled nations, like Libya, have also been over-represented among Liberland's 378,000 citizenship applications to date.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Fixer of Trump's problems has become one of them'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
-
Pros and cons of oat milkPros and cons Oat has emerged as the king of Britain's plant-based milks, but how does it stack up against the alternatives?
-
What happens if TikTok is banned?Today's Big Question Many are fearful that TikTok's demise could decimate the content creator community
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostagesSpeed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
-
Nato official warns of all-out war with Russia in next 20 yearsSpeed Read Civilians must prepare for life-changing conflict and mass mobilisation, says military chief
-
Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv to announce £2.5 billion in military support for UkraineSpeed Read Surprise trip comes amid increased Russian bombardment and escalation of Middle East crisis
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Israel preparing to flood Hamas tunnels with seawaterSpeed Read IDF pumps could drive out terrorists but critics warn of danger to hostages and Gaza water supply
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
