The State of Sandus has ratified a charter that establishes a new intermicronational organisation, the Borean Community, together with five other micronations. 12 October, which this year is also the Day of the Americas in Sandus, marks the beginning of the organisation according to the charter. Named after the Greek god of the northern wind, Boreas, the Borean Community is exclusively for North American micronations.
The community encourages and fosters international solidarity and fraternity with micronations across North America without regard for nationality, ethnicity, race, or language, and is built on progressive values of respect for human rights and dignity, North American internationalism, anti-fascism, and solidarity with oppressed peoples. Its tasks include “encouraging cooperation in all appropriate theoretical and pragmatic spheres amongst its member-states and with responding to urgent and necessary dilemmas facing the Americas.”
The community has a president who “schedules the community’s meetings, drafts their agendas, and presides over them as a facilitator.” These meetings will be a place for delegates “to share information and to foster coöperation on a large range of political issues.”
Sandus began proposing the idea of the community and drafting its charter a year and a half ago with the Newgraviate of Saint-Castin and the Kingdom of Überstadt. All three were driven to the proposal by a desire for coöperation and an anxiety about the rise of the far-right populism in North America. Negotiations came together at the 2019 MicroCon in Hamilton, ON, Canada, and continued until this summer. All three are joined in signing by the Kingdom of Hrafnarfjall and the Republic of Nordale; the Commonwealth of New Virginia is still in the process of ratifying.
The community’s presidency is a rotating position that goes from one member to the next each year based, first, on seniority in the organisation and, second, on overall seniority. Sandus, as a drafter of the charter, was the first to both ratify and sign the document, followed by the Newgraviate of Saint-Castin, the Kingdom of Hrafnarfjall, the Kingdom of Überstadt, and the Republic of Nordale. When New Virginia both ratifies and signs the document, it will be sixth in line to become president of the organisation.
As Sandus is the first in the rotation, the Sôgmô has chosen Jacob Barnet, also known as Jacob Valentine outside of Sandus, to become the community’s first president, and he has accepted. Despite not being from North America, Barnet is a long-time Sandum citizen and micronational diplomat since running his own micronation, New Scientopia and later Renasia, from 2008 to 2015. He has chaired other intermicronational organisations and is considered, after Minister Artemis Baca of Diplomatic Affairs, to be Sandus’s senior diplomat.
Ever concerned not to duplicate efforts as part of a YAMO (“yet another micronational organisation”), Barnet’s first statement since his acceptance of the position reflected both the honour and the extra burden of becoming the community’s first president.
“Obviously it’s a great honour to be put forward as the inaugural president of a new organisation such as this; to not only represent Sandus but to help cement the diplomatic bonds between our esteemed members. I can only hope I will be worthy of such an honour, and that in my tenure I establish the Borean Community as the highly admirable organisation it has to potential to be. I look forward to working with our fellow member states in the coming year, for our collective prosperity and development across a range of topics and projects.”
Barnet’s term will last from 12 October 2020 to 11 October 2021.
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