Photo Gallery Postcards from a Failed State?
An image grab from a video by Belgium's RTL television shows victims lying on the floor after the explosion inside Brussels' Zaventem Airport. There had been fears for months that a major terrorist attack would be carried out in the Belgian capital city. This week, they were realized.
Bart De Wever, head of the right-wing New Flemish Alliance and mayor of Antwerp, complains that integration in Belgium isn't working today. "We were unable to offer them a Flemish version of the American dream," he says. The politician doesn't have much faith in his country.
This week, police in Belgium partly evacuated the Tihange nuclear power plant out of concerns the terrorists may have been targeting it. During a search of the home of one of the suspects, surveillance video was discovered showing the director of research for the Belgian nuclear program.
Belgian Army soldiers patrol outside Central Station in Brussels on Wednesday. No one can absolutely prevent attacks -- neither the most reliable police force nor the most effective security plan. But Tuesday's attacks also represent a poor performance on the part of the authorities, especially those in Belgium.
