06/06/2025
Across the Channel with Tads Ciecierski-Holmes
The is an annual prize for the best policy-oriented article on a theme of significance for the contemporary Commonwealth published in the journal each calendar year.
Dr Trinidad鈥檚 article considers whether the population of Gibraltar is a genuine 'people' with the right to self-determination under international law. The article was published in the of 'The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs'.
鈥淚'm delighted to have won this prize, especially for an article on an issue that is so close to my heart.鈥
Changing the frame
鈥淢ost scholarship on Gibraltar's legal status comes from the perspective of outsiders looking in,鈥 says Dr Trinidad, who is also Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge.
鈥淎s a Gibraltarian, I hope to bring something distinctive to the discussion, but maintaining objectivity can be more of a challenge. I'm therefore greatly encouraged by the fact that my work in this area has been recognised through the award of the Peter Lyon prize, and I'll continue to pursue research on Gibraltar alongside other interests.鈥
As well as teaching in Cambridge, Jamie is a barrister at Isolas LLP (Gibraltar鈥檚 oldest law firm) and a door tenant at 7 Bedford Row chambers. His research and practice cover many areas of international law, including territorial disputes (land and sea), self-determination, and the relationship between the British Overseas Territories and the United Kingdom. His recent publications include Self-Determination in Disputed Colonial Territories (CUP, 2018).
A prestigious prize
The annual was instituted in memory of Peter Lyon (1934-2010), who was Reader in International Relations at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, and Editor of The Round Table from 1983 to 2004. Widely acknowledged as one of the leading experts on the Commonwealth, he was keen to bridge the divide between academia and policy-making, and over the period of his editorship he wrote almost 100 editorials and other articles for the journal, commenting on more or less every issue of relevance to the contemporary Commonwealth.
Founded in 1910, The Round Table is the oldest English-language international affairs journal, and provides analysis and commentary on all aspects of international relations. The journal is the major source for coverage of the policy issues concerning the contemporary Commonwealth, with occasional articles on themes of historical interest.
