An International Nation

Here's an idea:

Suppose whichever world int'l diplomatic organization of the timeline (U.N., League of Nations, etc.) gets dominion over an entire region. It's common to have an internationalized city, but what if they got their own territory?

I'm thinking- this world body is powerful enough to come into a Caribbean island nation (int'l territory of Zion/Holy Land is just too overdone and creepy) and stabilize it after decades of civil war. The nation had been torn apart between lots of rival groups, and the national spirit is completely gone. What follows is a lot of voluntary refugees movement, and near depopulation results.

What you have then is a lot of prime real estate. The world body gets it, and is made into a headquarters of sorts. A lot of it becomes the training ground for the peacekeeping forces. The U.S./China/whoever decries it, but a lot of people think it's a good idea.

I was going to go into more ideas (certain refugees from other conflicts can become 'international citizens' of this territory to serve the world body, former child soldiers are rehabilitated here and become members of a shadowy special forces group within the peacekeeping forces), but I suspect I've hit the lower limit of plausibility.

Thoughts?

Strategos' Risk said:

I was going to go into more ideas (certain refugees from other conflicts can become 'international citizens' of this territory to serve the world body, former child soldiers are rehabilitated here and become members of a shadowy special forces group within the peacekeeping forces), but I suspect I've hit the lower limit of plausibility.

Thoughts?

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My first thought is that, in such a world, suddenly the "Nansen" passports issued by the League of Nations in the 1920s would be meaningful and useful documents.

It would need to be fairly large because, if such a place existed, it would become difficult to get many of the first world countries to take any refugees at all, leaving them to the United Nations. I think then you'd have most refugees becoming UN (or League of Nations) subjects, perhaps with the opportunity to become "Citizens of the World" through service.

At the moment, I'm afraid I see this being in the landscape formerly known as Somalia but once the UN takes over, there is a precedent. Perhaps some would settle into Antarctica (living as "indigenes perhaps as in Kim Stanley Robinson's book "Antarctica").

After Somalia, other countries might ASK to be taken over by the UN, Somewhere like Mauretania, perhaps, or Haiti, finding themselves too poor to support themselves, might see the UN as saviours.

"United Nations" or whatever, would become a separate citizenship. It might start to be a world government. The US, if there is one, wouldn't like that, so there might be a cold war between the US and the UN. Or the US, UN and China. Or other combinations.

It would have to be a significant area and needs to build a significant population. An island would be better I believe.

fortyseven said:

It would have to be a significant area and needs to build a significant population. An island would be better I believe.

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Sri Lanka? After years of conflict between Sinhalese and Tamils with atrocities on both sides, the UN intervenes to knock heads together?

It is unlikely that the major powers would allow this to occur. Giving an Extra-National body actual territory makes it far too powerful, and far to independent. It would be a threat to all the Powers. In all likelyhood the Powers would withdraw from the body and attack it as a group.

Seeing as how a peacekeeping mission/the legal manuvering necessary for this sort of scenario to take place would require the support of the majority of the great powers, I'd say by default that most of them would have to support it.

Alcuin said:

Sri Lanka? After years of conflict between Sinhalese and Tamils with atrocities on both sides, the UN intervenes to knock heads together?

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Possibly. As long as India, Pakistan aren't a threat.

I'd suggest Madagascar.