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Imagine you’re a would-be migrant. You’re in a desperate situation, fleeing poverty, corruption, and violent crime in Central America. A private organization offers you to come to a new area that promises more security. This area has the basic services of a state—such as the protection of life, liberty, and property—but is not a traditional state.
This special jurisdiction is nested in a defined territory between two host nations.
Let’s say you agree to pay a certain amount for those services in a year. Your respective rights and obligations are laid down in a written agreement between you and the provider: a real social contract.
It won’t be easy. You might even have to agree to have future wages garnished by the private city operator to remain. Apart from that, you can do as you choose and seek your fortunes within this zone. You are thus a contracting party on an equal footing with a secured legal position--instead of being subject to the ever-changing whims of politics or gangs. And what is more, you only become a part of it if you accept the offer.
Again, this is an actual social contract. Would you choose it?
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