Rik Coolsaet

Biography

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Rik Coolsaet is Professor Emeritus of International Relations at Ghent University (Belgium) and Senior Associate Fellow at Egmont–Royal Institute for International Relations (Brussels). He was appointed a member of the original European Commission Expert Group on Violent Radicalisation (established 2006) and the subsequent European Network of Experts on Radicalisation (ENER).

He was chair of the Department of Political Science at Ghent University from 2006 to 2014. He served as Director of the ‘Security & Global Governance’ Program at Egmont–Royal Institute for International Relations (Brussels). In the 1980s and 1990s, he held several high-ranking official positions, such as deputy chief of the Cabinet of the Belgian Minister of Defence and deputy chief of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

His areas of expertise are international relations, diplomacy and Belgian foreign policy, and terrorism and radicalisation. He published the first comprehensive study on the history of Belgian foreign policy since the creation of the kingdom in 1830 (Belgium and its foreign policy, in Dutch and partly in French). The latest revised edition, released in September 2014, pursues this history until 2014 (in Dutch only, published by Van Halewyck). Two other major studies on Belgian foreign policy deal with Dutch-Belgian bilateral relations since 1945 (Nederland-België. De Belgisch-Nederlandse betrekkingen vanaf 1940, Boom, 2011, with Duco Hellema and Bart Stol) and with the history of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Les Affaires étrangères au service de l’Etat belge, de 1830 à nos jours (Mardaga, 2014) and, in Dutch, Buitenlandse Zaken in België. Geschiedenis van een ministerie, zijn diplomaten en zijn consuls van 1830 tot vandaag (Lannoo, 2014), with Vincent Dujardin and Claude Roosens.

Four successive studies on radicalisation and the so-called ISIS generation have all been published by Egmont: Returnees – Who are they, why are they (not) coming back and how should we deal with them ? Assessing policies on returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands (with Thomas Renard, February 2018); Anticipating the post-Daesh landscape (October 2017); ‘All Radicalisation is Local’. The genesis and drawbacks of an elusive concept (June 2016); Assessing the fourth foreign fighters wave. What drives Europeans to Syria, and to Islamic State? Insights from the Belgian case (March 2016).
His latest contribution on this issue (Radicalisation – The origins and limits of a contested concept) was included in an edited volume by Nadia Fadil, Martijn de Koning and Francesco Ragazzi, Radicalisation in Belgium and the Netherlands: Critical Perspectives on Violence and Security (London, I.B.Tauris, 2019).

Publications

• Souveraineté et indépendance nationale. La Belgique et le transfert de souveraineté vers des organisations internationales Other publications (17-02-2021)
• From bad to worse: The fate of European foreign fighters and families detained in Syria, one year after the Turkish offensive Security Policy Briefs (28-10-2020)
• Foreign Fighters trials in Syria: not a solution Commentaries (26-02-2020)
• Foreign Fighters and the Terrorist Threat in Belgium Commentaries (10-01-2020)
• Zijn we de greep op terugkeerders kwijt? Commentaries (18-10-2019)
• New figures on European nationals detained in Syria and Iraq Commentaries (15-10-2019)
• Losing control over returnees? Commentaries (14-10-2019)
• Terrorismes et radicalisations à l’ère post-Daech Other publications (10-10-2019)
• Radicalization: the origins and limits of a contested concept Other publications (5-06-2019)
• Power and rules in world politics: Von Clausewitz, Wilhelm II and Trump against Grotius, Wilson and Rietjens Other publications (16-04-2019)
• Radicalisation. A marginal phenomenon or a mirror to society ? Other publications (22-02-2019)
• The Belgian secret services get out of the shadows Commentaries (30-11-2018)
• Ce que l’attentat contre Léopold II nous enseigne sur le terrorisme moderne Commentaries (12-11-2018)
• Children in the Levant: Insights from Belgium on the dilemmas of repatriation and the challenges of reintegration Security Policy Briefs (11-07-2018)
• The Homecoming of Foreign Fighters in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium: Policies and Challenges Commentaries (12-04-2018)
• Reassessing Belgium’s “Failed” Counterterrorism Policy Commentaries (22-03-2018)
• How Belgium overcame the threat from returning foreign terrorist fighters Commentaries (22-03-2018)
• Returnees: who are they, why are they (not) coming back and how should we deal with them? Assessing policies on returning foreign terrorist fighters in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands Egmont papers (6-02-2018)
• Europe : Les racines du jihadisme sont toujours présentes Other publications (22-12-2017)
• Anticipating the Post-ISIS Landscape in Europe Other publications (9-11-2017)
• Anticipating the post-Daesh landscape Egmont papers (3-10-2017)
• Deradicaliseringsbeleid en de IS-generatie Other publications (19-09-2016)
• ‘All radicalisation is local’. The genesis and drawbacks of an elusive concept Egmont papers (31-05-2016)
• Facing the fourth foreign fighters wave. What drives Europeans to Syria, and to Islamic state? Insights from the Belgian case Egmont papers (1-03-2016)
• Will the foreign fighters issue ever end? Commentaries (20-04-2015)
• What drives Europeans to Syria, and to IS? Insights from the Belgian case Egmont papers (11-03-2015)
• Belgian Foreign Policy: in search of a new course Commentaries (10-07-2014)
• Mali: another European intervention without the EU? Security Policy Briefs (28-01-2013)
• Ontslagnemend Belgisch buitenlands beleid Other publications (15-05-2011)
• De wereld na Bin Laden Commentaries (3-05-2011)
• De patstelling in het Afghaanse ‘oorlogje’ Commentaries (15-09-2010)
• Recente strategische ontwikkelingen m.b.t. België’s resterende kerntaak Other publications (2-03-2010)
• Terroristen zijn amateurs Commentaries (17-02-2010)
• Als een bom in Afghanistan Commentaries (31-10-2009)
• Atlantic loyalty, European autonomy. Belgium and the Atlantic alliance 1949-2009 Egmont papers (25-03-2009)
• Obama moet bescheiden zijn Commentaries (19-01-2009)
• The Georgia-Russia stalemate: do’s and don’ts Other publications (8-12-2008)
• In de voetsporen van de tsaren… of van Bismarck? Rik Coolsaet over Georgië, Rusland en het negentiende-eeuwse Pruisen Commentaries (23-08-2008)
• Jihadi terrorism and the radicalisation challenge in Europe Books (25-02-2008)
• Belgium and counterterrorism policy in the Jihadi Era (1986-2007) Egmont papers (25-10-2007)
• Eb en vloed in 60 jaar Nederlands-Belgische betrekkingen Other publications (10-11-2006)
• Radicalisation and Europe’s counter-terrorism strategy Other publications (9-12-2005)
• Between al-Andalus and a failing integration Europe’s pursuit of a long-term counterterrorism strategy in the post-al-Qaeda era Egmont papers (18-04-2005)
• Al-Qaeda tussen mythen en realiteit Other publications (10-11-2004)
• Vol. LVII: Issue 3 (2004): La Belgique et sa politique étrangère: 2002-2004 Studia Diplomatica (25-06-2004)
• Global governance: the next frontier, a concept on global governance as a guide for a new ambition in international diplomacy Egmont papers (30-04-2004)
• A European security concept for the 21st century, a Belgian contribution to a comprehensive EU security strategy Egmont papers (20-03-2004)
• The world is the stage: a global security strategy for the European Union Other publications (15-12-2003)
• Vol. LV, Issue 3 (2002): Core Group, Directoire, enhanced co-operation? Finding the key to an effective foreign and defence policy for Europe Studia Diplomatica (26-09-2002)
• Vol. LIV, Issue 5-6 (2001): Buitenlandse politiek in België. Politique étrangère en Belgique anno 2002 Studia Diplomatica (26-12-2001)