This morning in the New York Times - - -

[JustJohn or JJ]

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"Everything in Belgium is politicized; you cannot have an administrative function, particularly a senior one, if you don't have a political affiliation."



by:CLAUDE MONIQUÉ,
a former French intelligence officer who runs a risk analysis company in Brussels.

[pieter]

Belgium although close to the Netherlands with our borders, is closer to Italy in it's political and cultural identity. It is more corporatist, and it has more clientelism, personal connections and deals between politicians and civilians (voters, party members and etc.) Belgium has French, Italian and Bavarian/Austrian elements in it's system. Due to it's borders with Southern-Nertherlands (Brabant and Luxemburg), Luxemburg, Germany and France it also has elements of these countries, the border regions of these countries with Belgium. The Blegian culture is more Southern-European, and the Dutch culture is more North-European.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish_Community
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish_people
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallonia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walloons
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Community_of_Belgium
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-speaking_Community_of_Belgium
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brabant_killers
www.intrepidreport.com/archives/3303
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Combatant_Cells
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affaire_des_ballets_roses_(Belgique)
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1135141/posts
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Nihoul
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendarmerie_(Belgium)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_General_Information_and_Security_Service
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Security_Service_(Belgium)