There are
many academic and non-academic articles in English and Spanish (at least) about
Gibraltar. Today we focus on academic studies about this TERRITORIAL DISPUTE.
The first
article introduces Gibraltar, its historical context and a few (often) overlooked
issues at stake: territorial waters, natural resources, and defence. With this
article, the reader will see that Gibraltar, Spain and the United Kingdom bring
to the game other actors such as the European Union and NATO.
The second
article refers to the different views about the dispute depending on origin.
This comprehensive study demonstrate how the same reality is presented in
different manners to the public depending on whether they are in Gibraltar,
Spain or the United Kingdom.
The third
article presents what at the time seemed to be the path to a definitive
solution: the principle of “two flags, three voices.” Indeed, it is much easier
to achieve a provisional solution than a permanent settlement. However, easier
does not mean better.
The last article
leaves many questions open. With Brexit fast approaching, what will happen with
Gibraltar?
Previous
post about Gibraltar (part of the TERRITORIAL DISPUTES series):
Post 31: Territorial disputes: Gibraltar (Part 1)by Gerry O’Reilly
“Britain stresses that Gibraltar was
ceded to the Crown by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 […]. However, under the Treaty of
Utrecht, Spain has right of “first refusal” should Britain decide to
relinquish sovereignty over Gibraltar.”
“In the historical context, regional
disputes have rendered delimiting maritime zones difficult but have prevented a
single state from gaining sovereignty over an entire stretch of water.”
“Despite UK and Spanish membership,
full usage of Gibraltar’s facilities by NATO states has been retarded.”
“Since the 1980s, both British and Spanish
governments had hoped NATO membership, and EU integration with EU citizenship
would lessen the intensity of the Gibraltar problem.”
“The British Government supports the
principle of right of self-determination, but in Gibraltar’s case, because of
the Treaty of Utrecht, this means that Gibraltar could become independent only
with Spanish consent.”
Link to the complete article:
ARTICLE 2
SFL and CDA: Contributions of the Analysis of the Transitivity System in the Study of the Discursive Construction of National Identity (Case Study: Gibraltar)
by Ángela Alameda-Hernández
“[…] the three corpora from
the Gibraltarian, Spanish and British press were concerned with the Gibraltar
situation, but each of them approached it in different ways, as the examination
of the patterns of processes, participants and circumstances have revealed. The
analysis allowed us to draw some social and political conclusions on the
discursive construction and representation of the Gibraltar issue. On the one
hand, the analysis of the Gibraltarian newspapers allowed us to understand how
Gibraltar presented itself to the world, the self-image it portrayed; while on
the other hand, the analysis of the Spanish and British newspapers allowed us
to understand how this issue and the community of Gibraltar were perceived and
represented from the outside, that is, from the two relevant angles involved in
the situation of this territory.”
Link to complete article:
Case Study: Gibraltar
ARTICLE 3
The Tripartite Forum of Dialogue: Is this the Solution to the ‘Problem’ of
Gibraltar?
by Peter Gold
Abstract
Following the abortive attempt by Britain and Spain to negotiate the
joint sovereignty of Gibraltar in 2001–02, the incoming Spanish Government in
2004 proposed the establishment of a Forum of Dialogue, in which for the first
time Gibraltar would take part as an independent third party. This Forum was
designed to achieve cooperation across a number of issues, including the use of
the airport, frontier traffic flows, pensions for former Spanish workers in
Gibraltar and telecommunications, and by September 2006 proposed solutions were
reached on all of them. The paper explores the Forum process and its
achievements, but concludes that, given the fundamental differences in the
ultimate objectives of the Forum participants and in particular Spain's
sensitivity to Gibraltar's status, the agreements may only prove to be a means
of managing the Gibraltar ‘problem’ rather than resolving it. Finally, the
article considers whether the Forum model offers any lessons for other disputes
in the region where sovereignty is contested.
Link to abstract and article:
Article 4
Explaining the
European Union’s Changing Position towards the Gibraltar
Question after the Brexit Referendum
by Ugur Burc Yildiz and Anil
Camyamac
Abstract
Having previously remained impartial on
the Gibraltar question between Spain and Britain since both were member states,
the European Union suddenly changed its position after the Brexit referendum in
favor of the Spanish government at the expense of breaching international law.
In doing so, the European Union, for the first time, created a foreign policy
on the long-standing Gibraltar question. This article explores the reasons
behind the creation of this foreign policy in support of Spain. The European Union
feared that the idea of Euroscepticism may escalate among remaining member
states after the Brexit referendum because of wide-spread claims that it would
dissolve in the near future, fuelled by far right political parties. The
European Union therefore created a foreign policy regarding Gibraltar in Spain’s
favor in order to promote a “sense of community” for thwarting a further rise
in Euroscepticism. While making its analysis, the article applies the
assumption of social constructivism that ideas shape interests, which then
determine the foreign policy choices of actors.
Link to abstract
and complete article:
Explaining the European Union’s Changing Position towards the Gibraltar Question after the Brexit Referendum
10th April 2018
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