Many Wimbledon spectators watching Belgium‘s Kim Clijsters‘ three-set, fourth-round victory over her compatriot Justine Henin on Monday would have thought of how lucky one small country could be to produce two stunningly successful tennis stars. But lucky is not what Belgium feels right now. And even that sports rivalry between the Belgian stars embodies the current political fracas that has exposed the division between the country’s Dutch and French speakers: Clijsters‘ family is from the Dutch-speaking half, Henin‘s from the French.

Indeed, this is a moment of truth for the country straddling the dividing line between Europe‘s Germanic and Latin cultures. Wallonia, Belgium’s French-speaking southern region, has struggled to recover economically from a postwar industrial decline, and its proponents argue that Dutch-speaking Flanders should show more solidarity in helping it through. But the Flemish, who see themselves as more entrepreneurial and outward-looking, label Wallonia as sponging and feckless. (See Justine Henin’s decision to retire in 2008.)

The split personality of the country emerged in a befuddling election earlier this month, which left the country with no viable government. The biggest party in the Belgian Parliament is now the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which seeks independence for Flanders, while the largest party in Wallonia is the Socialist Party (PS), which wants a stronger central government. Their respective leaders, the N-VA’s Bart De Wever and the PS’s Elio Di Rupo, are tentatively negotiating a coalition, but it is hard to see their common ground. A working coalition isn’t even likely until October, at the earliest. (See Belgium’s befuddling election.)

In the meantime, the economy is sputtering, and the country’s debt is one of the largest in Europe (currently at 99% of GDP, it is lower only than the debts of Greece and Italy). Then there is the grim irony of Belgium this week assuming the presidency of the troubled European Union for the next six months. The E.U. is committed to the idea of an “ever closer union” among the peoples of Europe, but its main institutions are based in Brussels, the capital of a country whose Dutch and French speakers are perpetually squabbling.

Yves Leterme, currently Belgium’s caretaker Prime Minister, said four years ago that the country was an “accident of history” and amounted to nothing more than “the King, the national football team and certain brands of beer.” Needless to say, Belgium’s once proud football squad did not qualify for this year’s World Cup in South Africa.

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