Ethnic conflict has been extremely widespread recently not only in new countries, such as South Sudan or Burma (Myanmar), but also in established and prosperous countries such as Belgium. It is astonishing to realize that Belgium, a country that people say could be the capital of the world, is in such disarray. Belgium holds the world record for the longest period without a formal government. From 13 June 2010 to 6 December 2011 Belgium remained without a government due to the strong division in the country. 541 days without government surpassed Iraq and Cambodia to conquer the world record. The major conflict in Belgium concerns the relationship between the two main ethnic populations, the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons. It's amazing to see how a country with such a wide gap can be so stable. People usually equate ethnic division with violence and unrest in a country and this is not the case in Belgium. Belgium has experienced very few violent upheavals regarding the conflict between the two ethnic groups. They are nowhere near the amount of violence the world has witnessed in places like Rwanda or the former Yugoslavia. The country was, and is, stable enough to host numerous headquarters of international organizations, including the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Although it did not produce violent upheavals, the ethnic division between Flemish and Walloons, which can be broadly expanded to say the ethnic division between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking populations, was subsequently the cause of a unique political structure and a complicated government in Belgium. It's important to know the history behind the split and how it got to... middle of the card... but it would be surprising if the Walloons gave it up without a fight. One possibility is to make Brussels a sort of European Union entity and fall under the jurisdiction of the EU as a whole. Ask the European Parliament, the president and the prime minister to govern Brussels. One of the main criticisms of the separation of Flanders and Wallonia is the reluctance of the Walloons. Although Wallonia was once Belgium's thriving economic sector, the roles have recently been reversed. In recent times Wallonia's coal, steel and metal industries have declined while Flanders, with the seaport of Antwerp, has flourished. Flanders has a workforce less prone to strikes and a greater ability to attract foreign investment. If Belgium were to break up, landlocked Wallonia could easily find itself in economic disaster, while Flanders would continue to enjoy economic prosperity..