How to own your private country.

I started off life as a nobody. Born of ordinary parents, worked my way through school, wasn’t a jock, or popular, didn’t make waves. Upon graduation, joined the military, made some contacts, learnt some skills, decided I didn’t want to be a soldier and and got out as soon as I could. Went to college, took business classes, learnt more skills, started a business, made money, more than I thought possible. Became rich. Hired skilled people to run my business, enlarge it, made them rich in the process, and became even richer myself without doing any of the work. And in the process, no one knew who I was. I kept a low key image, didn’t become a celebrity. My business wasn’t sexy or glamorous, it was boring, but captured a lot of money which I invested wisely and discreetly. I achieved multi billionaire status. So that was amazing. But I was bored. I wanted to achieve something bigger, be someone greater, albeit discretely and behind the scenes. A mover and shaker, that rich and famous people knew and looked up to. But didn’t brag about publicly. That is my style. It’s worked for me up til now, and I wanted to continue in that, but do something bigger. Like own my own country. Like Cecil John Rhodes. Who? You never heard of him? That’s o.k. He grew up in Britain, was sickly, and came to Africa for his health. Became rich and explored regions of unclaimed land (unclaimed by Europeans) which he settled for himself with his workers and investors and in the process had the area he claimed named after himself - Rhodesia. Now that is what I’m talking about! I wanted to do something big like that. “But that was then, the 1800’s, in the scramble for Africa, you can‘t do that now”. I can hear people saying that. Of course you can. If you have the money, and the balls. And the right people to implement your ideas.

Having been born in Rhodesia, and traveled all around Southern Africa, I knew the region, and loved the region. So I knew the part that was ripe to exploit. Mozambique. It was embroiled in a civil war, the government was in chaos, large swathes of land was uncontrolled. The rebels weren’t in control either, they were in fighting mode against the government only. There was coastal access, fantastic weather, rich mineral resources, a native population in need of work who would be loyal to a protective government. And that government wouldn’t be the Mozambique government which hasn’t protected them yet or given them work. It would be me and my team. It all was playing out in my head, it could work. It would work. It had before, it would again.

I started off by reaching out to my military contacts. Now ex military contacts. Mercenaries, but mercanaries I personally knew and fought with. They needed work, and I had work for them. I formed a war planning committee, told them what my plan was, and they got to work strategizing, buying weapons, boats, vehicles, supplies. Recruiting men. It took awhile, and took money, but I had both the time and the money. We pinpointed the area of land we where going to invade, the natural harbor we were going to land in and develop, and secure. Then expand out to the borders of the territory we were going to ultimately control. I made sure a majority of my leadership was black, American black, but at least black, and had them learning the fundamentals of the local language both native and Portuguese which was the colonial language of Mozambique And which most natives spoke. We planned to immediately recruit the local natives into our mercenary force and also employ as many able body workers as possible to construct roads, buildings, start farms, lay irrigation pipes, build out the infrastructure of my new country. Nothing super fancy, just baby steps. To show the people we were there to stay and that we had their interests at heart. Another team was assembled to identify mineral resources that we could start mining immediately, and make money. Another team was assembled to organize public relations and government relations, with the Mozambican government officials who would be protesting our incursion, and also the rebel forces who would be protesting our invasion of “their” territory. And also to work with international officials who might be inclined to get involved. All the different teams were important to the project, and all were instructed to work together, with me as the CEO. Everybody was on board, and excited. No-one had ever done anything like this before, and were very motivated to succeed. Of course, everyone was sworn to secrecy. I should add at this point that previous to this project I made my first business and my fortune by employing hardworking people to be managers, and do the hard grinding day to day work for me, with me doing just a minimal amount of work myself. But not this project! Yes, I hired and promoted people to do the hard grinding work, but I was really invested in this project, and everything had to be run past me. I had never worked so hard and long at a job before. But I revelled in the work. I woke up in the morning chomping at the bit to get started, and stayed up late Burning the midnight oil. There was so much to do. Now I knew what Cecil Rhodes meant with his famous quote “ so much to do, so little time to do it”.

The day finally came, the planning stage was complete, and the operation was launched.

‘Three large ships with the initial expeditionsty forces were set sail with jeeps, landrovers, refueling tankers, food, water, medicine, ammunition, weapons, all kinds of supplies. The excitement was palpable, thick in the air. We had portable Starlink internet hardware to be able to communicate on the ground. Satellite phones. Every base was covered. When we entered the natural harbor we anchored in the bay and off loaded all the men and equipment as quickly and orderly as possible, setting up a perimeter defense against attack. Buildings were constructed, piers were built so the ships could dock. Perimeter fences were built. Bunkers were built. Solar egenerators we’re installed, cables were run. A military base and city arose from the jungle. A massive supply ship arrived and was docked in the harbor. We were so fast, no resistance was given. No one knew we were there. As soon as we were able, we expanded out into the jungle. Bulldozers carved out roads, outpost defenses were built. Local natives were contacted and the situation was explained to them. They were recruited for work and were paid in food and medicine. Hearts and minds were won. We weren’t the enemy rebels or the government, we were a new force that was there to make their lives better. And they responded as such. More ships arrived with a new crop of settlers I had employed to be farmers and miners and engineers. Doctors, nurses, entrepreneurs, as soon as they got established, they would be able to make their own money, and get off my payroll. At some point we would make contact with the Mozambique government, and the rebels, and also the neighboring countries Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe, and make trade deals. Sell our food we will be growing, and the minerals we will be mining. The fish we will be catching. We will be a valuable resource everyone will want to have here, a stable resource.

It was at this point that we were were visited by a delegation of high ranking intelligence officials from the CIA and British intelligence. They flew in to our newly constructed airfield and held a series of meetings with us. They had been watching us for quite doom time, which we knew would happen, and actually they were quite favorable to what we were doing. They asked if they could establish an office on the base. We said yes. Thinking about it, I could not see a downside to this development . It almost seemed like we were getting a stamp of approval from America and Britain. Within a few weeks the German, French and Portuguese governments had opened an office in my new capital. Contact had been made with the rebels, and diplomatic solutions had been worked out. The same had been worked out with Mozambique. None of the two knew what to do, they were overwhelmed with the civil war they were fighting, and didn’t want another war. I had done it! Carved a new country out of the African wilderness. I formed a working government, with me as the president, cabinet secretaries and senators. I selected tribal chiefs from among the natives so that the locals felt that they were included. A diplomatic Corp was established. All answerable to me. All I had to do now was give the country a name. Something based on my name. I wanted to be remembered in history. I knew that eventually it would be changed to an African name. But history would record my name first.

My partial take over of Mozambique was studied by several government intelligence agencies and militaries, and it must have been well received, because one year later a private army took over a piece of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, another war torn but mineral rich country and followed my example to make a new country. The new president was a mega rich billionaire from Texas. Soon another country was formed following my example in Somalia, another war torn failed state. That president was a multi billionaire who was well known for colonizing the moon, and was planning on colonizing Mars. I guess he studied my example of taking over a piece of a failed state, and making it their own. That time it was in the Sudan. The new scramble for Africa was on! Just recently a multi billionaire from Taiwan took over a piece of the Philippines, several islands that had been fighting the Philippine government for years. He created his own country and had to fight the rebels, and negotiated with the Philippine government. And was successful. It worked there, and my example didn’t have to be just in Africa. It could work anywhere in the world . All you needed was money, balls and the energy. Hail to the new emperors.