Het Belgisch lidmaatschap van de Veiligheidsraad

Edith Drieskens & Jan Wouters evaluate Belgium's performance in the UN Security Council. In 2007 and 2008, Belgium was once more a privileged observer of the international community's approach to peace and security, serving as a non-permanent Council member. Participating in this global core cabinet' for the fifth time already, it would build upon its historical expertise, especially in relation to Central Africa. Yet its role would not be limited to the region of the Great Lakes only: the Belgian government aimed to contribute in a substantial way to all major issues, 'from North Korea to Haiti', taking the role of 'bridge builder'. Now that the Belgian delegation has exchanged its blue front row seats in the Security Council for regular red ones again, it seems a good time to look back and forward, assessing its recent performance and putting it into perspective. More specifically, the authors explore the question whether Belgium could benefit from this experience in future leading roles on the multilateral scene. Already in 2010, it is holding the EU Presidency, while it is also a strong candidate to take over the Presidency of the UN General Assembly in September 2010.status: publishe