# What will be the next new country? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092 "2014-04-14T16:39:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/41 "2014-04-21T03:18:15Z")
Transnistria? The eastern part of Moldova, filled with pro-Russians who have a de facto independence already. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/42 "2014-04-21T13:10:48Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Unless a new CSA were formed (i.e. a bunch of states together), I can’t see many states being able to exist as independent countries. California and Texas maybe, most others would be heavily dependent on imports. Even then, might not come off whole as the water supply flows south. Also, man can’t live on cheese and fried candy bars. 🙂 Minor little secessionist movements like this are constantly popping up in some random part of the US. Their chances of success are exactly 0%, and everybody (including the people advocating it) are well aware of this. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/43 "2014-04-21T15:04:33Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Transnistria? The eastern part of Moldova, filled with pro-Russians who have a de facto independence already. If Russia absorbs Ukraine I’d say Transnistria will be next. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/44 "2014-04-21T17:09:31Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Bermuda is British. You’ve obviously never been there. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/45 "2014-04-25T13:13:26Z")
Interesting that no one’s said Venice - they just had a (non-binding)[independence referendum](http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/03/europes-latest-secession-movement-venice/284562/)with 89% support with significant turnout. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/46 "2014-04-25T14:18:46Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Interesting that no one’s said Venice - they just had a (non-binding)[independence referendum](http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/03/europes-latest-secession-movement-venice/284562/)with 89% support with significant turnout. Isn’t Venice sinking? It would likely end up being one of the shortest-lived independent countries ever 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/47 "2014-04-25T18:22:02Z")
Considering that Congress (not this session however) has conceded that the deposition of the Hawaiian monarchy [was illegal](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-107/pdf/STATUTE-107-Pg1510.pdf), what would happen if Hawaii wanted to secede with a sweetheart deal for the US where they let the US lease Pearl Harbor and the current US military bases. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/48 "2014-04-30T17:12:57Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Considering that Congress (not this session however) has conceded that the deposition of the Hawaiian monarchy [was illegal](http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-107/pdf/STATUTE-107-Pg1510.pdf), what would happen if Hawaii wanted to secede with a sweetheart deal for the US where they let the US lease Pearl Harbor and the current US military bases. The US government would never accept such a deal. Besides, ethnic Hawaiians are only a small minority of Hawaii’s population these days, so we can’t “give it back” without setting up some sort of apartheid government or ethnic-cleansing scheme. It’s no different than talk about Texas or any other random state seceeding. It just ain’t gonna happen in the forseeable future. The moment any state made any serious efforts along those lines, the government would, with 100% probability, step in and smack down the people responsible, using whatever legal interpretations would be necessary to stop that crap. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/49 "2014-04-30T18:03:55Z")
A few of the British Overseas Territories are probably capable of independent statehood. Bermuda, Turks & Caicos Islands, Gibraltar, Maybe even The Falkland Islands if they could settle the Argentine problem. I don’t think there’s much impetus for independence though, so maybe not likely. Among U.S. territories Guam, Puerto Rico and American Samoa are potential candidates with Puerto Rico the more likely. However, if climate change continues apace I think an independent Greenland will probably happen in my lifetime. SS ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/50 "2014-04-30T20:11:09Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > A few of the British Overseas Territories are probably capable of independent statehood. Bermuda, Turks & Caicos Islands, Gibraltar, Maybe even The Falkland Islands if they could settle the Argentine problem. I don’t think there’s much impetus for independence though, so maybe not likely. I can see Bermuda and Turks & Caicos. But the Falklands? Don’t they have, like, 3000 people and 2 million sheep? Also, I’m not really seeing Gibralter. According to Wikipedia, it’s only about 2-1/2 mi[sup]2[/sup], and its only real asset is its location at the entrance to the Mediterranean. If they tried to take advantage of that (by taxing shipping trade, or whatever), they’d be quickly crushed by some combination of diplomatic, economic, and military pressure, and would most likely end up being annexed by Spain. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/51 "2014-04-30T20:54:14Z")
Another possibility (but hardly a front-runner) is New Caledonia, currently French. A fair amount of power is already been granted to the local government, and I believe there is supposed to be another referendum on independence in the next few years. Past votes have gone against independence, however. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092/52 "2014-04-30T21:15:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m going with Somaliland. It’s already functioning as a de facto country and unlike other secessionist regions, there’s no functioning official government in place in Somalia that can oppose it. I agree. I was in Somaliland a few months ago and it is functioning fine on its own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-be-the-next-new-country/686092.md?page=2)