Political Climate

After living in Belgium for almost 3 weeks now, I have a little better understanding of Belgian Politics. The country is bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, houses the head of the European Commission as well as NATO headquarters and is also considered to be "the capital of Europe."

Because of Belgium's central location, it has a variety of cultures that have influenced its identity over the past centuries.

Recently, Belgium has experienced upheaval and some significant drama among the different ethnic regions. The northern part of Belgium is a Dutch-speaking region called Flanders. To the south lies Wallonia where everyone speaks French and finally in the eastern part of Belgium is a very small area where German is the predominant language.

Belgium got its Germanic influences when in AD 300 Attila the Hun invaded Germany, forcing some Germanic tribes into the eastern-most part of Belgium. Belgium was then invaded by Germans a century later giving current day Belgium its Germanic roots. In the late 18th century Napolean's army took control of Belgium, but after Napolean's final defeat at Waterloo, Belgium came under Dutch rule. Finally, in 1831 the Belgian people gained their independence from the Netherlands and established a constitutional monarchy.

I had no idea before I got here how divided this small country was. Gennie warned me from the beginning that whenever I go outside of Brussels into the Dutch speaking areas it is like a slap in the face to speak French. Instead, I was given the advice to speak in English.

Unfortunately, this rivalry does not merely affect what language a foreigner should use during an occasional outing. Instead, Belgium's entire political system has been afflicted by the long-felt tension amongst the different regions that make up the country.

In a nutshell: Dutch speakers vs. French speakers.

Currently, King Albert II is head of state. Yves Leterme is the Prime Minister, however, there have been huge disagreements between the French and Dutch speakers about who gets more autonomy and power. This feud has led to a lack of leadership, no Prime Minister, and ultimately the collapse of the government for over nine months before Yves Leterme was sworn into office. These disagreements have caused utter chaos in Belgian politics and still continue to threaten the security of their government.

Gennie, laughing as she explained the current state of affairs in Belgium's political realm, said "England would undoubtedly freak out if there were no Prime Minister. The British people literally would not know what to do. Belgians just don't care. They were absolutely content without any structure."