Thomas Renard
Biography
Dr. Thomas Renard joined the Egmont Institute in 2009 and was a Senior Research Fellow until 2021, when he became Director of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in The Hague. He remains closely involved with Egmont as a Senior Associate Fellow.
His research focuses on (counter-)terrorism and (counter-)radicalisation in Europe. His recent research has focused on the evolution of counter-terrorism policy in liberal democracies, on anti-government extremism, on (returning) foreign fighters, on radicalization in prison and on terrorist recidivism. His latest monograph is The Evolution of Counter-Terrorism since 9/11 (Routledge, September 2021). He also co-edited two books in 2024 (ICCT Press): Russia and the Far-Right: Insights from Ten European Countries, and Female Jihadis Facing Justice: Comparing Approaches in Europe. His research has been published in many journals and think tanks, including: International Affairs, Perspectives on Terrorism, CTC Sentinel, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, ICCT or RUSI. He presented his research findings in many policy venues, including the UN Security Council, UN CTED, the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), the European Commission and the European Parliament, among others, and his recommendations regularly inform global policy discussions. He also contributes regularly to media worldwide (New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, BBC, Le Monde, etc.).
In 2024, Dr. Renard was appointed by the European Commission as member of the Research Committee of the EU Knowledge Hub on the Prevention of Radicalisation, and by Europol as a steering committee member of the European Counter-Terrorism Centre (ECTC) Advisory Network on terrorism and propaganda. He is also a Senior Associate Fellow at the UNESCO-PREV Chair at the University of Sherbrooke. ?Furthermore, he is the Chair of the Steering Board of Perspectives on Terrorism, a leading academic peer-reviewed journal, and he sits in various scientific committees or advisory boards. He is also a member of the International Gender Champions (ICG), committed to ensure gender equity in his work and organisation.
Dr. Renard obtained his PhD from Ghent University in 2021. His dissertation was awarded the ‘Best Doctoral Dissertation on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism’ by the Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI). He also holds a MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University (GWU) and a MA in Journalism from the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL). He was also Adjunct Professor at the Brussels School of Governance, at the Free University Brussels (2015-21).
All his publications are available at: www.thomasrenard.eu
Publications
- Challenges of radicalisation in prison External publications
- Zijn we de greep op terugkeerders kwijt? Commentaries
- New figures on European nationals detained in Syria and Iraq Commentaries
- Losing control over returnees? Commentaries
- Returnees in the Maghreb: Comparing policies on returning foreign terrorist fighters in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia Egmont papers
- What justice for Belgian jihadi fighters? Commentaries
- The Belgian secret services get out of the shadows Commentaries
- The EU as a partner in cyber diplomacy and defence External publications
- Ce que l’attentat contre Léopold II nous enseigne sur le terrorisme moderne Commentaries
- Children in the Levant: Insights from Belgium on the dilemmas of repatriation and the challenges of reintegration Security Policy Briefs
- How to handle returning foreign fighters: policies and challenges External publications
- The Homecoming of Foreign Fighters in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium: Policies and Challenges Commentaries
- Terrorism and counterterrorism in Europe in 2017 External publications
- Reassessing Belgium’s “Failed” Counterterrorism Policy Commentaries
- How Belgium overcame the threat from returning foreign terrorist fighters Commentaries
- EU cyber partnerships: Assessing the EU strategic partnerships with third countries in the cyber domain Egmont papers
- 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
- Cyber-diplomacy: the making of an international society in the digital age External publications
- Business vs security: the conundrum of Chinese investments in Belgium External publications
- Facing the evolving jihadi threat in Europe External publications