'US-led war on terror increases risk of terrorist attacks'

The Oxford Research Group urged countries, especially the United States and Britain, to rethink their security policies to counter future instability.

"The war on terror is a dangerous diversion and prevents the international community from responding effectively to the most likely causes of future conflict," a press statement about the report said.

The US and British governments insist there is no alternative, but "there is abundant evidence that the 'war on terror' is proving deeply counterproductive -- making the risk of future terrorist attacks on the scale of New York, Madrid or London more not less likely," it said.

The report, "Global Responses to Global Threats: Sustainable Security for the 21st Century", was referring to the September 11, 2001 suicide aircraft hijackings in the United States, the Spanish train bombings on March 11, 2004 and the London suicide attacks on July 7 last year.

Instead of terrorism, the report cited climate change; competition over resources; socio-economic marginalisation and global militarisation as the main threats to peace and the likely causes of future conflict.

These issues "are far more important than the current focus on the 'war on terror'", the authors of the 18-month study concluded.