For the second time in the past 5 years, Belgium's government has fallen as we know it. Yves Leterme, the Christian Democrat prime minister, just resigned after only five months. However, it is no cause for alarm in Belgium because it is the third resignation in the past 3 years. The conflict between the Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south is so extreme that government bodies cannot operate successfully. In federal parliament last week, 150 deputies chanted, "Long live free Flanders, may Belgium die."
For the past 30 years, the government has unstably functioned to unite the nation, but still there is little Belgian pride. A Flander commented: "There's no loyalty to a country called Belgium. There has never been a country that has lasted so long in conditions like this." The country essentially runs as two separate nations; there exist no national political parties, no national newspaper, no national TV channel, and no common school curriculum. The north is flourishing economically while the south is deep in debt and the two groups normally vote on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Every effort is made to avoid interaction between the groups. School children are educated on separate floors and with a different curriculum and universities are separated on the basis of language.
The country of 10.5 million people, is 58% Dutch speaking and 31% French speaking. For the most part, the two groups live in different geographic regions, but as this changes, conflict arises. French-speaking middle class families are moving out to the Flemish-dominated suburbs as Brussels becomes increasingly crowded; here, they face animosity and aggression. Friction, however, is greatest in the city itself in areas where the Flanders and Wallonia live side by side. Although both sides agree that violent conflict is not likely, they do admit that emotions are tense on both sides. Separatists have started defacing bilingual street signs. In the city's governmental structure, the two sides use legislation and restrictions to undermine each other. For example, proceedings conducted in the town of Linkebeek must be in Flemish even though 13 of the 15 councillors are native French speakers.
The importance of this issue is that language is at the heart of it. I was shocked to discover that language could be so powerful; it essentially toppled the Belgian government. As said by the Ian Traynor, the author of the article, "Language is the fundamental flaw at the core of Belgium's existential crisis, taking on the role that race, religion, or ethnicity play in other conflict-riven societies. The country operates on the basis of linguistic apartheid, which infects everything from public libraries to local and regional government, the education system, the political parties, national television, the newspapers, even football teams."
What do you think? Does Belgium have potential for reconciliation? Are they addressing these issues incorrectly? Or is a divorce in the making?
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To me, what is fascinating about this issue is how significant language is in this issue, and how it must be closely tied to historical differences. Without having any basis of knowledge besides this article, I would say that there is almost always the potential for reconciliation. In order for reconciliation to be successful, I believe people (hopefully more those who are more neutral) must investigate further into why the divide exists- what exactly about the differences in language and culture- is at the root of the conflict. While this might prove to be impossible, an examination of the root cause of conflict is necessary in order to develop a plan for change and cooperation and unity.
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