Foreign relations of Belgium (WEU). Both NATO (since 1966) and the EU have their headquarters in Brussels; SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) is in the south of the country, near Mons. Since January 1993, the WEU has been headquartered in Brussels. Belgium has been one of the strongest supporters of NATO since the inception of the alliance in 1949. Having suffered through two invasions in two world wars, Belgium was aware of its security needs and the limitations of its means for self-defense. As a result, the leaders of that nation began calling for the formation of a defensive alliance shortly after the
Allied Powers (horse) Powers only managed to finish seventh, probably due to the fast going which was unfavourable for him. With a rating of 111, Allied Powers began his five-year-old campaign in 2010 with the Group 3 John Porter Stakes at Newbury Racecourse. He finished twelfth in a race won by Harbinger, who would go on to win the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by 11 lengths. In May, Allied Powers headed to Paris and won the Prix D'Hedouville, a Group 3 race at Longchamp Racecourse, under French champion jockey Ioritz Mendizabal. A month later Allied Powers returned to France to