Anarchy with Order

In a taxi cab ride one day, a news broadcast on the radio reported on the ongoing political gridlock in Belgium. The driver turned to me and said, "You see, this is exactly why we can't adopt the western model of democracy in China. Otherwise, it would be too chaotic, don't you agree? That's trouble we can't afford."

(Students from Brussels University in Poelart Square, Brussels, Belgium, February 17, 2011. /Thierry Monasse/CFP)

Since the June 13 election last year, the two major parties representing the country's Dutch and French communities have yet to settle on a plan to move forward as a coalition government. The country essentially has not had a government for over a year. A state of anarchy brings to mind images of war-torn lands and trash-strewn streets. But exactly how much pandemonium has been wrought on Belgium since the beginning of this "chaotic" political situation?