Nation-states are Notional, but...

In 2019, Nithyananda, a guru (n.b.: all gurus are 'self-styled'), reportedly fled India after security agencies began probing his involvement in criminal cases. But, soon enough, the man resurfaced in the online world, claiming that he founded a new nation, the United States of Kailasa (USK). If you think that was a classic wheeler-dealer's bravado, it wasn't. In the last few years, USK representatives have managed to dupe a couple of city governments and reportedly participated in two UN meetings in Geneva in February. On USK's website, the fictional country is described as the 'revival of the ancient, enlightened Hindu civilisational nation which is being revived by displaced Hindus from around the world'.

Earlier this week, a Paraguayan government official, who later said he had no clue about USK's location on the map, was replaced after it was revealed that he signed a 'proclamation' with USK in October. Among other things, the 'proclamation' expressed a 'sincere wish and recommendati on' for the Paraguay government to seek the establishment of diplomatic relations with USK and support its admission as a sovereign, independent state in various international fora. In return, USK would help Paraguay on various fronts, including irrigation. We know of FTAs. Nithyananda and Co have just added a new meaning to it: fictional trade agreements.