The Conflict

Gibraltar has been a British colony since the eighteenth century, when Britain won it from Spain in wartime. Spain objects to Britain's presence there; the United Nations wants Britain to decolonize the peninsula; and Britain itself would also like to disentangle from the situation, but the majority of Gibraltar's citizens oppose movements toward losing British sovereignty for fear of being ruled by Spain. Britain has promised that it will act in accord with Gibraltarians' wishes. This causes some tensions between the United Kingdom and Spain, who need to be able to work together as members of the European Union and NATO.

Political

• Britain and Spain continue to abide by the the Treaty of Utrecht—a treaty signed almost three hundred years ago. The treaty was written for military...