Belgium National Identity

        Can a Nation base their national identity off of a single food? When you type the word “Belgium” into the Google search bar in the United States, the first suggested search is “Belgium Flag,” but the second most searched result is “Belgium [sic] Waffles.” When Americans hear of the word Belgium, they seem to associate it with waffles. Obviously, the real national identity of Belgium is not just “a good place for waffles”, but this an example of how the outside world can perceive other countries based on what they see and hear about. National identity is defined by this country has, and by what this country does not have in comparison to others. Anna Triandafyllidou (1998) says that national identity has no meaning at face value or by itself without contrast to others. National Identity is defined by what the country has, but also by what the country does not have in contrast with others (Triandafyllidou 593-612). Aspects of national identity typically include customs, culture, language, history and politics.

            Belgium is a relatively new country compared to others in Europe, declaring independence from the Netherlands in 1830 (CIA World Factbook). Of the wars Belgium have been a part of, their country has been taken over, including World War I and World War II, both by Germany (CIA World Factbook). Belgium is perceived as a militarily weak country with only 2% of their governments military expenditure, compared to neighboring countries France, Germany, United Kingdom, that have 4-5% of their governments expenditure just on the military (IISS, Military Balance). This has historically caused many problems for Belgium due to the geography of their land. The country has access to the North Sea with their coast line and rivers making the land valuable, but the entire country is also very flat, allowing for armies to move quickly across the land. After World War II, the second time in under twenty-five years Germany have invaded Belgium, Belgium realized they needed to do something to help prevent situations like this again. Belgium became founding members of both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “NATO” in 1949, and the European Union “EU” in the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Today they are not only still in both of these organizations, but both NATO’s and the EU’s headquarters are located in the capital of Belgium, Brussels. One of the reasons Belgium has invested in these organizations, is so they have some security of these other countries to come to their aid if they are ever in need again. Belgium is creating a very friendly national identity, especially with those near them and other powerful countries that can keep them safe.

Belgium’s political system is a rollercoaster with highs and lows. Back in 2010 and 2011, the Belgian government shut down for a total of eighteen months. Now the country seems to be more politically unified but there are still some tensions. But in contrast with all of this, Belgium is actually a very developed country. The world bank says that Belgium is a “high-income economy”, meaning their gross national income per capita is 12,236 dollars or more in 2016 (The World Bank Data). They have high standards for education, ranking twenty first best country in the world (United Nations Development Programme, Education Index). Finally, they have a good quality of life for their citizens, ranking twentieth best country in the world (NUMBEO, Quality of Life Index). Belgium also has rich culture, with a diverse folklore from many different traditions, since they are a relatively new county with multiple languages spoken, including French, Dutch, and German. So, to recap, Belgium is an advanced society, and is using these times of peace to advance themselves.

            Belgium is invested in NATO and the EU. If NATO or the EU were to ever fail, then Belgium would be in serious trouble. The United Kingdom leaving the EU has to scared Belgium a little, now hoping that others do not follow the United Kingdom’s footsteps (Hunt and Wheeler). Some of Belgium’s other external significant others that have the most direct impact on them are France, Germany, and the Netherlands, their neighboring countries. While none of the countries have shown any aggression, all three have armies larger than the Belgium army. And economically, Belgium as a country lacks in raw materials. Their largest import is raw materials, and machinery and equipment (CIA World Factbook). But more importantly, the countries of Netherlands, Germany, and France make up almost forty percent of all imports (CIA World Factbook). The Belgian economy and standard of living is directly tied to these other countries around them.

            Belgium has some internal significant others. There has been some controversy between the Flemish and the French of Belgium. There are many political parties in Belgium, but the two most popular ones are the “N-VA” or the New Flemish Alliance and the “PS” or the Socialist Party (European Parliament). All major political parties are either Dutch speaking, or French speaking. Even in Brussels, a bilingual city, all political parties are exclusively French or Flemish. This can cause controversy and strong political tension in the country. The internal significant other is just the side that is not the majority at the time. As of now, the Prime Minister Charles Michel is part of the “reformist movement” that is a conservative-liberal French speaking party (BBC News). The past two prime ministers have now been French-speaking, so recently the internal significant other would be the Flemish. Part of the reason Belgium is viewed as such a weak country is thanks to their political system. They do have a country divided and in their political system, it takes a two thirds vote to pass legislation, thus making productivity close to impossible. One of Belgium’s worst enemies is itself.

            Belgium is perceived as a very developed country, but like any country it has its issues. Belgium relies on organizations like NATO, the EU and their neighbors to support them militarily, and economically. Belgium has internal problems too. Their county is divided, and this only makes them weaker. Belgians are proud of their country today, especially after enduring such a rough history. They have high income, high education standards, and a good quality of life. Belgium provides a well-rounded life for their citizens, but do rely on the support of the countries around them.

Word Count: 1059

Works Referenced

Alex Hunt and Brian Wheeler (2018 January 30). “Brexit: All you need to know about the

UK leaving the EU” BBCNews. (Website) Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887

Belgium profile - Leaders. (2016, February 29). Website. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17208921

Casert, R. (2014, October 11). Belgium swears in new Prime Minister Charles Michel. Website. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgium-swears-in-new-prime-minister-charles-michel-9788994.html

Data for High income, Belgium. (n.d.). Website. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/?locations=XD-BE

European Parliament Results by country. (2014, September 22). Website. Retrieved from http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2014-results/en/country-results-be-2014.html

Human Development Reports. (n.d.). Website. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/education-index

IISS. (n.d.). Website. Retrieved from https://www.iiss.org/

Quality of Life. (n.d.). Website. Retrieved from https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_by_country.jsp

The World Factbook: BELGIUM. (2018, January 23). Website. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/be.html

Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the ‘Other.’. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 21(4), 593-612 https://login.proxy.seattleu.edu/login?url=http://openurl.ebscohost.com/linksvc/l

inking.aspx?sid=sih&volume=21&date=1