Gibraltar: British or Spanish?

It is 300 years since Britain took possession of Gibraltar, a rocky promontory at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar: British or Spanish? provides a detailed study of the attempts that have been made by Spain, particularly over the last two decades, to regain the sovereignty of the 'the Rock'-despite the wishes of the Gibraltarians. Since 1984 a framework, known as the Brussels Process, has been in place to provide a forum for formal negotiations between Britain and Spain on practical cooperation but, more significantly, on the future sovereignty of Gibraltar. The book analyzes and chronicles the historical context for these negotiations, as well as the negotiations themselves and the events surrounding them. It explores whether Gibraltar should be British or Spanish, what influence the past three centuries have had in relation that that question, why the vast majority of Gibraltarians are resolutely opposed to Spanish involvement in their affairs, and what the options are for the future.The book covers issues such as decolonization, Anglo-Spanish relations within the EU and NATO and British strategic military considerations. The first book to give a detailed and up-to-date account of the attempts by Britain and Spain to resolve their differences over Gibraltar since the 1984 agreement this volume will interest students and scholars of British and Spanish Politics alike.

Peter Gold is Principal Lecturer and Head of the School of Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies at the University of the West of England, Bristol.