Gibraltar and the many views
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 some
issues at stake: territorial waters, natural resources, and defense. 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?
GIBRALTAR:
SOVEREIGNTY DISPUTES AND TERRITORIAL WATERS
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
NOTE:
This post is based on Jorge Emilio Núñez, “Territorial Disputes and State
Sovereignty: International Law and Politics,” London and New York: Routledge,
Taylor and Francis Group, 2020 (forthcoming)
Previous
published research monograph about territorial disputes and sovereignty by the
author, Jorge Emilio Núñez, “Sovereignty Conflicts and International Law and
Politics: A Distributive Justice Issue,” London and New York: Routledge, Taylor
and Francis Group, 2017.
NEXT
POST: What do Gibraltarians want?
Tuesday 05th November 2019
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
Twitter: @London1701
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