I don’t think giant superpowers will create the future we want. I think lots of micro-sovereignties will.

Small pockets of utopia can upend the world order—they have in the past, and I think they will in the future too. I’m not alone—I’m joined by six thinkers who, through this collaborative essay collection and print pamphlet, explore a world after nation states. We’re talking about what might cause their downfall, how micro-sovereignties might emerge in power and influence, what they might look like, and how they could join federal governments à la carte.

In this series:

“What comes after the nation state?” A foreword by our patron, Sondre Rasch, CEO of SafetyWing

“America created the world order—what happens when it leaves?” By Mark Lutter, founder and Executive Director of Charter Cities Institute

“You should own stock in your city,” by Jeff Fong, author of Urban Proxima

“How will new countries attract (& keep) citizens?” by Michael Skinner, author of Savvy Cities

“Fractional ownership works for Banksy paintings—not cities” by Elle Griffin, author of The Elysian

“Why new countries should rent land—not buy it” by Julien Starr, founding director of Startup States Society

“What will the first internet country look like?” by Eman Zabi, author of Thinking in Public

“How should we tax internet countries?” by Madison Karas, Plumia fellow

“Yes, let’s abolish federal governments” by Elle Griffin, author of The Elysian

SafetyWing serves as the patron of this issue. The organization provides a social safety net for a global citizenry, and I am grateful for their support of our design and illustration costs. The cover illustration is by Emiliano Raspante with the digital and print pamphlet designed by Patricia Faggi.

Pamphlet sales go directly to contributors—the Elysian treasury keeps 20% of profits with the rest split between contributors.

If you’re new to The Elysian, this is all part of our mission to bring pamphleteering back. We’re thinking through a utopian future alongside a community of visionary writers and thinkers. I hope you will join us—read the essays, respond in the comments, and drop by one of our office hours calls along the way!

This is our last collaborative pamphlet for a while. I’m working on several personal projects that will debut as long-form pamphlet series over the summer and fall in the vein of Let Cities Build Utopia.

Thanks for reading and thinking with me, Elle Griffin