Beatrice de Graaf

Beatrice de Graaf (b. 1976) is a professor of History of International Relations and Global Governance at Utrecht University. She researches the history of terrorism, war and violence and is particularly interested in the fight against them. She was a fellow at Cambridge University, regularly makes public appearances as an expert on terrorism and has published, among other titles, Dangerous Women, Theatre of Fear, Terrorists on Trial and The Balancers. In 2018 her oeuvre was awarded the Netherlands’ highest scientific distinction: the Stevin Award.

The Balancers

How Europe waged peace after 1815

(Prometheus, 2018, 448 pages)

In The Balancers, Beatrice de Graaf rewrites the history of international security and counter-terrorism in Europe by shining a new light on the Allied Council (1815 – 1818), a forgotten, though revolutionary, political experiment. Using jointly-occupied France as their Petri dish, this small committee of ministers and ambassadors developed the first Europe-wide security framework, designed to prevent the horrors of second revolution and the rise of another Napoleon.

Radical Redemption

What Terrorists Believe In

(Prometheus, 2021, 304 pages)

Jihadist terrorism is often dismissed as a problem of ‘Islam’ or as a consequence of discrimination. Others conclude that terrorists are mentally disturbed. While these might be easy answers, they do little to reflect the process of radicalisation. Terrorism expert Beatrice de Graaf examines the individual lives behind acts of violent extremism to throw light on the connection between a terrorist’s beliefs and their actions.