Conflict within Belgium: The Flemish and Walloons

In 2006, Professor Mnookin began a research project relating the conflict within Belgium between the French-speaking Walloons and the Dutch-speaking Flemish. This work is being done in conjunction with Professor Alain Verbeke of the University of Leuven. A invitational conference, sponsored by the Francqui Foundation, was held on this topic at the University of Leuven on November 13, 2006. Professor Mnookin will be publishing in the forthcoming issue of Daedalus an article entitled “Ethnic Conflicts: Flemings & Walloons, Palestinians and Israelis.” (Winter 2007). Professor Mnookin and Professsor Verbeke will be presenting a joint paper on the internal conflict within Belgium at Vanderbilt University in Spring 2007.

On Wednesday, December 13, 2006, Professor Mnookin appeared in a television program relating to the possible breakup of the Belgium state. In conjunction with that program, Mnookin and Verbeke contributed an essay which was recently published both in French and Dutch under the title Bye Bye Belgium, edited by Philippe Dutilleul. Together, Mnookin and Verbeke co-authored a chapter and have written five Op Eds about this subject: Two, in Dutch, have appeared in In Tijd, leading Flemish newspaper in Belgium, and two have appeared in L’Echo, the leading francophone paper. In addition, an Op Ed entitled “Bye Bye Belgium” was published in the International Herald Tribune on December 20, 2006.