One of the core issues for every national movement is the definition of the borders of its nation. Some of them have clearly fixed ones (Scotland and obviously Corsica or the Faroe are good examples) while others don’t (Kurdistan, for instance).

Having an autonomous government usually helps in fixing borders in the long term. But when we come to complex state artefacts such as Belgium, this is not that clear. The Belgian layer system makes Brussels a region on its own in some government areas but links it to the so-called Flemish Community in some others (mainly linguistic and cultural ones). In the event of the creation of an independent Flanders, which would be the position of the capital city of Belgium? Continue reading →