https://www.state.gov/secretary-blinken-travels-to-belgium-to-highlight-the-strength-of-the-nato-alliance-and-the-transatlantic-relationship/
The progress Allies have made on defense spending helps ensure NATO is ready and has the capabilities required to meet any challenge. European Allies and Canada have increased their defense spending by more than $130 billion since 2016. By the end of 2024, that number is projected to exceed $400 billion.

https://harvardpolitics.com/flanders-and-wallonia/
Wallonia and Brussels tend to elect left-wing and pro-environment politicians, while Flanders has veered to the right in recent years. These political divisions, combined with cultural and linguistic differences, a rising national debt, and a general rise in a national ideology based on ethnicity rather than formal borders, have resulted in the

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Peace_Conference_(1919%E2%80%931920)
The Paris Peace Conference was a set of formal and informal diplomatic meetings in 1919 and 1920 after the end of World War I, in which the victorious Allies set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers.Dominated by the leaders of Britain, France, the United States and Italy, the conference resulted in five treaties that rearranged the maps of Europe and parts of Asia, Africa and the

https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/6031c3a2-ada9-42b4-8045-52006e2a2b07/the-berlin-conference-of-1884-1885/
In 1884 the leaders of fourteen European countries and the United States came together to discuss control of Africa's resources. Known as The Berlin Conference, they sought to discuss the partitioning of Africa, establishing rules to amicably divide resources among the Western countries at the expense of the African people. Of these fourteen nations at the Berlin Conference, France, Germany

https://www.britannica.com/event/Berlin-West-Africa-Conference
Portugal. United Kingdom. Berlin West Africa Conference, a series of negotiations (Nov. 15, 1884-Feb. 26, 1885) at Berlin, in which the major European nations met to decide all questions connected with the Congo River basin in Central Africa. The conference, proposed by Portugal in pursuance of its special claim to control of the Congo

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/23/1088169669/biden-will-be-in-brussels-for-natos-meeting-on-the-war-in-ukraine
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: For more on the U.S.-NATO approach to Ukraine, we have Richard Haass, president on - of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former diplomat.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Belgium/Belgium-and-World-War-I
Belgium - WWI, Neutrality, Invasion: As international tensions heightened during the summer of 1914, Germany made plans to besiege France by crossing Luxembourg and Belgium, despite their neutrality. The two countries refused free passage to the German troops and were invaded on August 2 and August 4, respectively. The Belgian army retired behind the Yser (IJzer) River in the west of Flanders

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium%E2%80%93Netherlands_relations
Embassy of the Netherlands, Brussels. Belgian-Dutch relations refer to interstate relations between Belgium and the Netherlands.It can be seen as one of the closest international relationships in existence, marked by shared history, culture, institutions and language, extensive people-to-people links, aligned security interests, sporting tournaments and vibrant trade and investment cooperation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium_in_World_War_I
Cartload of Belgian government public records, books and documents as it flees the Imperial German Army, published in November 1914 1918 American poster used to encourage the purchase of War Bonds. The history of Belgium in World War I traces Belgium's role between the German invasion in 1914, through the continued military resistance and occupation of the territory by German forces to the

https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/world-war-i-american-experiences/about-this-exhibition/arguing-over-war/humanitarian-aid/the-invasion-of-belgium/
William Allen Rogers. Invasion of Belgium by the "Uncultured," 1914.Pen, ink, graphite, and blue pencil drawing. Published in the New York Herald, November 25, 1914.Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (018.00.00) Enlarge

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/whp-origins/era-6-the-long-nineteenth-century-1750-ce-to-1914-ce/x23c41635548726c4:other-materials-origins-era-6/a/the-berlin-conference
The Conference. The Berlin Conference took about three and a half months, from November 15, 1884 to February 26, 1885. It resulted in an act that did three things. The first was to recognize the territory that King Leopold claimed as his private property.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/world/europe/belgium-government-coalition.html
Oct. 1, 2020. BRUSSELS — For nearly two years, Belgium has been without a formal government, leaving a country that was already divided by language and politics to endure a pandemic with lame

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/06/1091203259/blinken-brussels-nato-russia-warcrimes-
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Brussels to oversee the U.S. investigation into the Kremlin's war crimes against Ukraine. While in Europe, he will also meet with G-7 members and NATO

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/09/1004394359/biden-heads-to-europe-to-convince-allies-the-united-states-has-their-backs
Biden's first stop will be in the United Kingdom for a G7 meeting. He will later travel to Brussels to meet NATO allies and European Union leaders. And then he heads to Geneva, where he'll meet Putin.

https://www.dw.com/en/world-war-i-brussels-at-the-end-of-the-great-war/a-46243496
11/10/2018. Revolution, Spanish flu and refugees: the situation in Belgium at the end of World War I was chaotic. An exhibition at the BELvue Museum tells the story of that confusing time. Bernd

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/2023-state-union-address-president-ursula-von-der-leyen-how-will-eu-answer-call-history
Ahead of next year's European Parliament elections, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, gave her State of the European Union (SOTEU) address in September 2023. In this article, we gather our experts' key takeaways from the SOTEU, providing a comprehensive analysis of the EU's recent achievements and the continued challenges facing the bloc.

https://www.politico.eu/article/live-blog-ursula-von-der-leyen-state-of-the-union-speech/
September 14, 2021 9:38 pm CET. By POLITICO. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament on Wednesday. The speech was a chance for von der Leyen to reflect on the EU's ongoing efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and chart a recovery path for the years ahead.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/10/joint-statement-by-president-biden-and-president-von-der-leyen-2/
We will continue to work together to advance energy security and sustainability in Europe by diversifying sources, lowering energy consumption, and reducing Europe's dependence on fossil fuels

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/10/fact-sheet-u-s-diplomatic-engagement-with-european-allies-and-partners-ahead-of-talks-with-russia/
The United States, along with its Allies and partners, has underscored its readiness to impose significant costs on Russia if it takes further military action against Ukraine.

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/belgian-presidency-eu-council-three-issues-watch
Here are three to watch during the Belgian Presidency. 1. Supporting Ukraine "as long as it takes". The last European Council Summit on December 14 and 15, 2023 exposed how fragile EU's unified support for Ukraine is.

https://www.politico.eu/article/belgium-break-up-flanders-wallonia-tom-van-grieken-vlaams-belang-far-right/
July 21, 2023 4:01 am CET. By Barbara Moens. Sooner rather than later, Belgium may cease to exist. The small Western European state that hosts the headquarters of the EU and NATO has long had a dysfunctional national political life. It holds the world record for the longest time taken to form a government during coalition talks — over 500 days.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54378950
Why Belgian struggle for identity could tear country apart. 3 October 2020. By Kevin Connolly, BBC News, Brussels. Reuters. After 15 months, Belgium has a new government with as many women as men

https://teachnthrive.com/history-passages/world-history-passages/berlin-conference-how-europe-peacefully-shared-africa-not-with-the-africans/
The Berlin Conference (1884-5) was a meeting of fourteen powers (European, United States, and Ottoman Empire). Their mission: peacefully divide Africa and find a way to keep African colonial empires running smoothly. The only people not represented were the Africans themselves.