PhD Candidate
Safiya.Ali@warwick.ac.uk

Thesis Title: Supranational Law, State Sovereignty and Regional Integration: The Caribbean Court of Justice and the Evolution of the Caribbean Community

Profile

I am an attorney at law from Trinidad and Tobago, having received my LL.B (Hons.) from the The University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) and Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School. My career has primarily been in the field of International Law, having completed a Masters in International Law (Dist.) at The University of Edinburgh, following which I worked for several years (most recently as General Counsel) at the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CARICOM is a regional integration organization established by Treaty in 1973 comprising 15 Member States and 5 Associate Members. I have negotiated and drafted treaties and other international agreements, both within the regional arrangements and representing CARICOM, and have advised Member States and CARICOM institutions on all matters relating to implementation of Community obligations.

During my tenure at CARICOM I had the opportunity to be part of many seminal moments in the advancement of CARICOM integration, particularly those centered around cases brought before the original treaty jurisdiction of the Court of the Community, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Thesis

I am interested in the underlying implications of these cases, which to date have all been initiated by private entities and not Member States and have brought about significant transformation to the norms and procedures of CARICOM. The working title of my thesis is “Supranational Law, State Sovereignty and Regional Integration: The Caribbean Court of Justice and the Evolution of the Caribbean Community”. I will be examining in what ways non-State actors, with a particular focus on the CCJ, affect the integration of States, particularly as in the CARICOM context against the backdrop of Member States have been reluctant to take actions that appear to cede sovereignty.

Research Interests

I am generally interested in international organisations, particularly issues of governance and accountability. I am also interested in integration, treaty-making and functional cooperation among States.

Supervisors

Ben Richardson, Associate Professor in International Political Economy, PAIS

James Harrison, Reader and Associate Professor in the School of Law https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/people?id=24681e9b2229fa6aec46c470f41ccd9b