Should Belgium exist?

[Indy Texas]

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

[TNF]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

[SWE]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

[PiMp DaDdy FitzGerald]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

How Can Waffles Be Real If Belgium Isn't Real

[H. Ross Peron]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

[ElectionsGuy]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

[Goldwater]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

[Zioneer]

If the Belgians want it to exist, then it can exist, though I'm not sure if they want it to these days...

[Хahar 🤔]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

Yes, mindless blockquoters, nobody is suggesting that someone should choose on behalf of the Belgians. Thanks for demolishing that strawman.

The question is whether your own personal opinion is that Belgium should continue to exist.

[Lief 🗽]

that picture of a waffle is the least belgian thing I've ever seen

I personally find it deeply offensive...

[ingemann]

I'm of the opinion that the independence of Belgium was a disaster. But honestly today I see little reason to disolve the state.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Of course not.  It was an illegal separatist clique backed by a foreign power who had designs on annexing the territory itself which caused the separation in the first place.  Hopefully, this can be reversed or at the very least Crimea Belgium should remain independent rather than being annexed by its larger neighbor.

[Mopsus]

"Benelux" is a cool name. Now I have no idea how well unifying Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg would go, but if the state of Benelux were at all practical, I would be for it.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I'm surprised there is no option of each region forming its own state, without being annexed.

Though whatever should happen, it's entirely up to the Belgians, therefore I don't feel right to give any opinion here.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Certainly the dress sense of the average Belgian should not exist.

[TDAS04]

Yes.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Of course, why not?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

If the Belgians want to stay together, yes.

This. It's literally no one's business but the Belgians'

Yes, mindless blockquoters, nobody is suggesting that someone should choose on behalf of the Belgians. Thanks for demolishing that strawman.

The question is whether your own personal opinion is that Belgium should continue to exist.

Having an opinion about something isn't the same as trying to control someone? 

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Not that it matters, it's Europe. There are about two borders on this planet that matter.

[windjammer]

 No. It should be divided between France, the Netherlands and Germany based on linguistic demographics.

And of course, it's Belgium's business.

[Velasco]

I want the Austro-Hungarian empire back. Belgium and Crimea can join if they wish to. Seriously, my opinion is that all nations are artificial by definition and they exist until they cease to exist and don't exist because they should exist, but because of historical circumstances. I don't know if I am being clear enough.

[Indy Texas]

Maybe this should have gone in political debate.

I was not asking this as a hypothetical where you personally have the power to arbitrarily destroy countries by fiat.

I was asking this in the same sense that a discussion was had earlier about whether or not Ukraine should be divided into two countries.

Belgium has had a longstanding, albeit not a violent, tension between its Flemish and French speaking populations. One of the major reasons for Belgium's creation - that Dutch-speaking Catholics in the southern Netherlands were being oppressed by a very dogmatic Protestant monarch - is obviously not relevant in a largely post-religious Western Europe. In this context, does the modern linguistic tension and the somewhat asymmetric economic development between Flanders and Wallonia provide a reason for the country to dissolve that outweighs the historic rationales for its creation?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

But Flanders is not Dutch and Wallonia is not French.