Another "state" between Serbia and Croatia

"As a teenager I founded my own country and was even invited to speak at the UN – at the age of 17."

With this statement by Wyatt Beck, a report in the Süddeutsche Zeitung begins about the "state" of Gapli, which extends over only 205 hectares between Serbia and Croatia.

The gap, says Beck, is on land that supposedly no one claims.

He himself has never been there, but he already has passports, license plates, a flag and a website. "And of course a name: Federal States of Gaple. Not far from a real state," the reporter writes ironically.

Gapla is supposed to strengthen "peace and harmony" between peoples and be a "modern and innovative nation."

Crazy ventures

"Microstates have always been a kind of revolution, a philosophy, a kind of planning game in real life. What can a state look like that doesn't have old ballast? What makes a state good? Does it have to be good at all? Does it have to benefit its citizens or can it only benefit itself?", philosophizes the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

They are reminiscent of the microstate Elgarland-Vargaland in which Swedish artists allowed everyone to be kings. Or the venture of Slovenian Peter Mlakar, who, with an artistic collective, declared his own state in 1992, and which found many supporters in – Nigeria.

Microstates, writes the Munich newspaper, can also be created as free trade zones, for shady dealings of offshore banks or shipping companies and casinos.

"Just like Liberland. It's right next door to Gapla, founded in 2015 as, according to the website, 'the freest country in the world.' Blockchain literally rules there. Anyone who wants to become a citizen has to invest in a special cryptocurrency."

As the newspaper assesses, the citizens of Liberland were driven by hatred of bureaucracy and taxes and the hope that they could profit from numerous investments.

The border issue

"Neither, of course, is Liberland internationally recognized, no one lives on a piece of land on the Danube."

The Zidow Zeitung reminds us of the issue – Serbia and Croatia both recognize that the border is on the Danube, but from different periods, and the Danube meandered.

"This has created many small areas claimed by either both countries or neither of them," the newspaper explains.

"The political situation is complex, residents are annoyed by foreigners who think they can simply march here, even though the 'march' is only symbolic."

For ventures like Liberland and Gaple, writes the Süddeutsche, territory is not even important, but serves as legitimation.

"Countries exist primarily as group chats on Discord, and diplomatic discussions are conducted on Reddit. It's hard to imagine that California teenagers would prefer to live on the muddy banks of the Danube."

Something like Zuckerberg trying

Gapla has its own cryptocurrency, but the founders say they want ideas, not money. Bek says: “Mr Bista wrote to us and asked how to get involved. Honestly, I don’t know what to say.”

Mr Beast is the most successful YouTuber in the world with around half a billion followers on social media and a number of his own companies.

Wyatt Beck, writes Züdeich, states in his biography that he developed an intelligence test, a platform for evaluating schools, a YouTube channel for technology, and wrote e-books on all sorts of things, including the founding of states.

He's an ambitious guy, smart, and for a moment, writes Zidojče, he reminds us of Mark Zuckerberg and similar nerds from the early 2000s.

"By the way, the trip to the UN Youth Forum ECOSOC was financed by Beck and two other Gaple residents through the Gaple Representation Organization, which is paid for by the Gaple government. So, they already know how to transfer money like old people," concludes Zidojče.

This press selection contains quotes, excerpts and summaries from German-language media and does not reflect the views of the editorial staff.