International conflict: The Flemings and The Walloons

location

Geographic facts

Nations Involved

Historic Overview

Solution

Geographic Location

facts

Geographic Facts

•The greatest distance between two points in Belgium is only175 mi. (280 km.). •only slightly larger than the state of Maryland• hosts great cultural and economic diversity; and its history reflects much of the history of Western Europe. •The Brussels-Capital Region

Nations Involved

• Dutch-speaking Flemings make up the majority of the Belgian population• French-speaking Walloons constitute an important minority, particularly in the southern areas closest to France.• There is also a small minority of German-speakers, concentrated largely in eastern Belgium. In the capital city of Brussels, all of these languages are spoken and all of the cultural groups are accommodated.• Outside of Brussels, however, the different groups live largely in separate areas. • There is also a small minority of German-speakers, concentrated largely in eastern Belgium. In the capital city of Brussels, all of these languages are spoken and all of the cultural groups are accommodated•Outside of Brussels, however, the different groups live largely in separate areas.

WalloonsFlemings

Walloons•French-speaking Walloons constitute an important minority, particularly in the southern areas closest to France.

•most Walloons live in Wallonia to the south, and Germans living in small enclaves in the east.

•This has led to some social and political tension between the cultural groups, particularly over the "frenchification" of Brussels—the campaign by some Walloon politicians to make Brussels more French than Dutch, including the deliberate invitation of French-speaking North African immigrants to the area.

Flemings•Dutch-speaking Flemings make up the majority of the Belgian population•Modern Belgium is a federal state that allows divisions. Where, most Flemish Belgians live in Flanders in the northern part of the country, •Although, it is quite common for Belgians to speak more than just one of the nation's languages, the linguistic groups remain localized. •After general elections in June 2007, the Belgian parliament was unable to name a government.•In the wake of this political deadlock, some Flemish politicians have suggested that Flanders, the most economically prosperous region in the country, declare sovereignty and remove itself from the Belgian state. •This is unlikely, though: political rivalries are often tied to Belgium's cultural divisions, but it is doubtful that they will lead to a national divorce at this stage.

Historic OverviewThe northern portion of the country is known as Flanders. This is

the home of the Flemings, who speak a variety of Dutch. The southern region is Wallonia, and its French-speaking people are called Walloons. Differences between these groups have grown since Belgium gained independence from the United Netherlands in 1830. In recent years those differences have forced the government into a form of federalism. The country has three primary subdivisions: •Flanders, with about 54 percent of the population•Wallonia, with a third of the population; • Bilingual Brussels, the capital and home for about 10 percent of the citizens.

The Flemings and Walloons each have their separate cultural communities, as does a small group of German-speaking Belgians in the east.

Cont.

Historic Overview Cont.Despite, or perhaps because of, its own nationality differences, Belgium is a leader in international cooperation. The European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Belgian-Netherlands-Luxembourg Economic Union (Benelux), and other international agencies have offices in or near Brussels. So, too, do many international businesses and banks. For many Europeans, Brussels has actually become a symbol of the new unifying Europe. Famous for castles, refined art, music and ballet, and culinary delights, Belgium was also a leader in the 19th-century industrialization of the continent. Modern shipping communications, financial activities, and machinery and chemical production today augment the traditional income derived from textiles, specialized agriculture, tourism, glass manufacture, and the declining coal, iron, and steel industries. Culture, pleasant modern living, dynamic trade, international cooperation, and the challenge of accommodation of linguistic differences give Belgium political significance and cultural and economic excitement much greater than its size.

Solution • create a three tier government • one for EACH language • each tier controls its own region• representatives from each tier forms one central government