WASHINGTON — The popularity of Barack Obama as a presidential candidate in 2008 rivaled rock stars in Western Europe. His election as president of the United States suggested that he would open a new chapter in the U.S.-European relationship. This is certainly true, to a degree. The desirability of American leadership greatly improved in Europe, [...]

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Besides being known for its beers, chocolates and well-preserved medieval towns, Belgium is also a popular curiosity cabinet among political scientists for its particular ability of peacefully absorbing conflicts between the country’s two main regions, Flanders in the north and Wallonia in the south. Today this is no longer true. The Belgian model of ‘compromise’ [...]

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