Belgium has been placed at the heart of the Paris attacks investigation. For days its capital was in lockdown due to fears of an imminent attack.
And around the world observers have begun to question why Belgium has become so central to the Islamist security threat in Europe.
The image portrayed by much of the world's media has been of a dysfunctional country with grotesquely complex and failing state structures - a country where terrorists could merrily go about their business unchallenged.
This focus on Belgium was in part due to the French government being so quick to point the finger at the security deficiencies of its smaller neighbour - arguably in order to avoid having to face its own failings.
And Belgium's geographical position as a small country in the heart of Europe - close to France, Germany and the UK - means it was always bound to become a hub, for good things and bad.