the iraq effect

The Iraq Effect: war has increased terrorism se7enfold worldwide

Our study yields one resounding finding:

The rate of fatal terrorist attacks around the world by jihadist groups, and the number of people killed in those attacks, increased dramatically after the invasion of Iraq.

Globally there was a 607 percent rise in the average yearly incidence of attacks (28.3 attacks per year before and 199.8 after) and a 237 percent rise in the fatality rate (from 501 to 1,689 deaths per year).

A large part of this rise occurred in Iraq, the scene of almost half the global total of jihadist terrorist attacks.

But even excluding Iraq and Afghanistan—the other current jihadist hot spot—there has been a 35 percent rise in the number of attacks, with a 12 percent rise in fatalities.