The world saw a large number of terrorist attacks in 2006. At least 665 of them can be described as serious, an increase of 74 percent over the previous year. At least 4,900 people were killed, 60 percent more than the previous year; and 10,500 injured, 39 percent more than in 2005.

As far as numbers are concerned, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia suffered more than the rest of the world and Iraq was no doubt the worst hit country. The frequency at which terror attacks were launched and the number of casualties they caused are such that it is quite accurate to call Iraq the center stage for terrorist activities.

In a way 2006 can be seen as the most horrible year since 9/11. People need to dig deeper than ever to find out why terrorism managed to thrive while nations of the world increased counter measures.

First of all, Asia remained the region where the most terror attacks took place, with Iraq and Afghanistan at the top of the list.

The situation in these two countries was such that it seemed the more anti-terror measures were thrown in, the heartier the terrorists became. After Iraq and Afghanistan, the countries hardest hit by terrorist attacks were Turkey, Israel, Palestine, India, Pakistan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

But Iraq suffered more from international terrorism than the rest of the world combined.

Admitted, international anti-terror cooperation has made tremendous headway since 9/11 as nations of the world keep gearing up anti-terror legislation and battle strength.

The United States in particular has thrown $430 billion into anti-terror affairs (diplomatic and military) in the past five years, of which $386 billion was directly spent on anti-terror warfare.

And its "war on terror" in Iraq has been going on non-stop since it was launched, racking up a US death toll of more than 3,000 even under the much vaunted "zero casualties" battle concept.

Despite these all-out efforts, the number of terror attacks has been soaring, forcing people to wonder if something went wrong in the anti-terror philosophy or the way it was applied.

To be objective, the United States' measures to counter and prevent terrorism within its boundaries have worked quite well with no major attacks seen since 9/11. But it is another story in Iraq and Afghanistan, where terror attacks have become very much a way of life.

There is perhaps only one explanation for this phenomenon: Interference and power politics are two of the leading causes of terrorism, meaning the regional wars launched by the United States have opened the Pandora's Box of terrorism. And the US occupation of the two countries is further stimulating the spread of terrorism.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted to reporters in Jordan on December 1 that the US "had made mistakes" in the Iraq War, though she did not elaborate on what the mistakes were.

Summing up developments, first, the war launched in Iraq and the country's consequent occupation by the US have upset the existing structural balance of the Iraqi political system and social fabric, led to conflicts and confrontation between religious sects over the redistribution of power, and even been indirectly responsible for the outbreak of terror attacks, which appear to be an eye for an eye.

All this inevitably forced US government officials to rethink their Iraq policies.

Meanwhile, other Asian countries suffering from frequent terror attacks can see the bloodshed as a violent reflection of their traditional internal conflicts and inherent socio-political defects.

Second, al-Qaida remained in the lead of all terrorist activities worldwide.

In 2006, al-Qaida or its influence was behind most of the terror attacks throughout the world. Its name had come to stand for a school of thought poisoning minds already infected by savagery and ignorance. It has remained the driving force behind the spread of terrorism worldwide.

As an extreme school of thought, al-Qaida can hardly be eliminated with military force. In fact, under growing military pursuit it has been spreading faster. An effective way to wipe out al-Qaida may be by making more efforts to build up a widely recognized democratic global political system that fosters exchanges and harmonious blending of different civilizations.

Third, while high-tech terrorism did not occur last year, attacks by conventional means continued to cause serious consequences.

The year 2006 passed without the feared nuclear (radioactive), biological or chemical attacks by terrorists.

Neither have other forms of high-tech terrorism, such as Internet carried attacks, happened as some experts predicted. The so-called conventional tactics like bombing, kidnapping and assassination remained the favorite exercises of terror.

In order to realize their twisted ideals and goals, terrorists have been trying harder to kill more people and make sure even more people witness the carnage.

This display of cruelty and disregard for human lives has made people even more concerned about defense against the above-mentioned unconventional attacks, because nuclear, biological and chemical attacks will no doubt bring untold suffering to humankind and the environment beyond our imagination.

Fourth, innocent civilians remained the majority of terror victims.

In all terrorist attacks waged since 9/11, the great majority of victims were innocent civilians, though most attacks targeted the United States and Western personnel or facilities.

It shows not only the political nature, suddenness and unpredictability of terrorism but also terrorists' savage obsession with murdering innocent people.

Fifth, the safety of Chinese citizens in foreign lands became a major concern.

In 2006, some Chinese citizens learned the hard way that they should not take their safety in foreign countries for granted. Though their number is still very small, the fact that the attacks took place in countries as diverse and far away as Pakistan in South Asia and Venezuela in South America is enough to cause concern, despite the fact that the actions were more economically than politically motivated.

It should be noted that as more Chinese citizens go abroad and compete in international markets the likelihood of their being targeted by terrorists for economic reasons also grows.

Meanwhile, some extremist nationalists and religious fanatics might be motivated by their politically oriented hatred for China to target Chinese personnel and facilities as the country assumes a greater role in world affairs.

We have to keep this possibility clearly in mind and take the necessary precautions to keep ourselves safe. It has become a critical issue for our government to make the maximum safety of Chinese citizens overseas a priority while promoting the cause of building a harmonious world.

Looking back at 2006, the deaths of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev failed to dent the enthusiasm of terrorists in launching even more attacks despite increased efforts by many countries to beat them back.

As the number of attacks with resulting casualties indicate, the number of unconventional security threats through terrorism is rising very fast. The numbers show all the signs of a game of one-upmanship against the war on terror.

The continuing spread of international terrorism and the disastrous aftermath it inflicts on human society make it clear that we must find the best way to completely uproot terrorism. We must identify the thought process that will lead us to success. Only by doing so can we reach the goal of establishing a harmonious world sooner rather than later.

Liu Qiang is director of the Institute of International Relations and of the Anti-terrorism Research Center at the PLA International Studies University

(China Daily 02/16/2007 page11)