Belgian Dubai

We chat to to some of the Belgian population in Dubai to find what they think about life in the emirate Discuss this article

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Belgium’s history can be divided into two key periods: before and after 1830. After a revolution that year, Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands (and became ‘Belgium’). In 1831 Belgium set up the basis of its regime – neutrality, parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy – with Leopold I as the first king.

As with the rest of the globe, the 20th century was hectic in Belgium, and included World War I, the colonisation of Congo and Ruanda-Urundi and World War II. The Cold War era was synonymous with multilateralism: notably joining NATO and the EU and the emancipation of Belgium’s African colonies.

Today the atmosphere is somewhat confrontational between the two main linguistic communities: the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the North and the French-speaking Walloons of the South. After the 2007 elections, they couldn’t agree on a ruling party for 194 days. Now they have one, but regional autonomy is being discussed. Yet Belgium being Belgium, life otherwise carries on as usual.