The basic ideological framework is already present in the Western society and the governments are bound to respect it, not the other way around.
This isn't really relevant for the main point, but in my opinion, this ideological consensus has been built, and is presently being maintained, overwhelmingly by American institutions (both governmental and those that are nominally not such). So it's not at all inaccurate to see it as a projection of U.S. power, even though it nowadays rests on the status and prestige of American ideas and institutions far more than on the U.S. military supremacy. If tomorrow the U.S. disappeared from the global stage, I'm sure this consensus would quickly break down.
(I also disbelieve that running some version of libertarian utopian society with several dozens of people on board would classify as such inviolable taboo.)
Yes, but that's far below any reasonable benchmark of success. Remember, the seasteading people want huge, hopefully world-changing impact. Achieving such a huge impact by radical experiments in government would involve some violation of taboos with certainty.
Not only Russia (which may be, on the other hand, more hostile to the concerned libertarian ideas and possible tax evasion than the U.S.), but also India, Brazil, Venezuela, perhaps France - strong anti-American sentiments exists in all those countries and any strong pressure from the U.S. government would likely result in a major diplomatic conflict.
On this list, India seems like the only potential candidate to achieve a decently independent status similar to Russia and China in the foreseeable future, though I'd say it's still far from that. As for the other countries, I don't think any of them could afford to protect openly a group of people at whom the U.S. government is really angry.
But more importantly, the anti-American sentiments held by the elites of these (and various other) countries are not based on rejecting the U.S.-led transnational ideological consensus (as, for example, the anti-Americanism of some radical nationalists or religious traditionalists would be). These sentiments are based on the perception that the U.S. itself fails to live up to the ideals of this ideological consensus. Therefore, an international campaign against the evil undemocratic human-rights-violating seasteaders would elicit enthusiasm from this whole crowd, and their anti-Americanism would find expression in accusations that the U.S. is supposedly tolerating and abetting them and failing to act against them with sufficient vigor, with its nefarious corporate and militaristic interests, and so on. Unlike the all-out anti-Americanism of various fringe elements, the respectable anti-Americanism of the intellectual and political elites always has this form.
If tomorrow the U.S. disappeared from the global stage, I'm sure this consensus would quickly break down.
Besides "Universal adult franchise is the best, and only just, system of government" and micro-states rapidly becoming explicit protectorates of militarily powerful countries, what other changes would you expect to see if that happened?
Recently the relatively awesome entrepreneur invested 1.25 million USD into this (seasteading institute website here).
It seems such a wonderful concept, finally somewhere where new forms of government could be tried out. But I'm just wondering how in the world they hope to deal with existing governments since their reaction to any kind of serious alternatives, especially one that either economically or ideologically presented a significant challenge, is bound to not be positive.
I was just wondering what LWer thoughts are on this matter? Also has there been any discussion of seasteading in the past that I've missed? Also I'm wondering if anyone would hazard to perhaps offer a prediction or judge how likley this is to succeed (maybe on predictionbook)?