Why Belgium became the hotbed of terrorists: Another paradox of Belgium's federal systems?

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K01441
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 06010:Politics-related
• Research Institution: Ryukoku University
• Principal Investigator: Matsuo Hideya 龍谷大学, 法学部, 教授 (50453452)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ベルギー / テロ / 連邦制 / 宗教政策 / 移民 / 新自由主義的政策

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research explains that why Belgium became "the hotbed of terrorists," and why the terrorist's attacks happened on 22nd of March in 2016 in Brussels, a capital of Belgium. At first, the research paid attention to the immigration policies, religious policies, and social security policies and found that muslims in Belgium　tended to become detached from the world and have antisocial motives. Especially according to the federal systems of Belgium, these trends become strengthened. Now it seems that the mayor of Brussels had long taken power by joining with bosses of terrorists in Brussels.who was from Afraica. And then, after the formation of neoliberal government in 2015, the government took counter-terrorists policies rapidly. Terrorists seemed to be dead set against these policies and set off suicide bombs.

Free Research Field

政治学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の意義は、多文化、多言語国家として知られているベルギーにおいてテロが起きた原因を探ることで、ベルギーの宗教、社会保障、移民政策の不備を明らかにし、多言語国家の統治の難しさを明らかにしたことにある。上記成果では強調しなかったが、他にも多言語国家ゆえの治安政策（情報伝達）の難しさなどが課題として挙がる。
また、イスラーム移民との共存を目指したメヘレンで治安が急速に回復した事例もあり、特に福祉国家の諸政策が、ユーロ危機などを背景に新自由主義的政策に変化したこと、さらに2015年までの一連のパリでのテロによる「反テロ対策」の「急激な変化」がテロリストたちを追いつめているとも読めた。