ABSTRACT
Objective conditions which would have allowed a domestic, ideologically-motivated group of terrorists to flourish also existed in Belgium. These are the same conditions that made Belgium a haven and a source of arms for terrorists from other countries. Belgium has perennially served as an easy source of arms for terrorists. In addition to ease of mobility and access to arms, Belgium has also offered a plethora of suitable targets to terrorist groups. Compromise and coalition dictated by political expedience are as firmly rooted in Belgian history as is conflict. Through consultation, conciliation and arbitration, the Belgians have become adept at legislating problems out of existence, or at least in removing the elements of political conflict. Belgian workers are much less likely to vote on class grounds than their counterparts in other countries, since the presence of religious and linguistic divisions cut across the politics of class.
