Brussels is neither London nor New York. But it is at the heart of Europe, a country with porous borders, jet-setting diplomats and highly paid bureaucrats which also makes it an eyesore. The city has been on the ISIS hit list for months, if not years.
Explosions at Brussels airport today – which is a nodal airport for Europe – have killed at least 26 people and injured many more. Nobody has claimed responsibility at the time of writing but many are asking if this is a warning against extraditing Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the Paris attacks. His lawyer Sven Mary has said his client has been formally charged in connection with the Paris attacks and was “collaborating” with Belgian authorities, will challenge the extradition. Read here.
The city is home to over 200, 000 bureaucrats who take critical decisions on issues that affect daily life in Europe. On among them is immigration. The other, more difficult one is how to deal with terrorism, as many of Europe’s majors are part of the NATO umbrella. Is Europe a striking base for planes to refuel as they bomb targets in Syria or is it a land which receives refugees who will reach a million soon?
Some six weeks Brussels was on high alert. The metro was closed and people were asked to stay indoors. It wasn’t curfew, but almost similar in its instructions. Because of its European offices, Brussels is part of every European country and it is not. Many multinational companies are headquartered in the city as are newspapers and media houses giving the city a permanent floating population.