International leaders have expressed solidarity with US President George W Bush in his plea for global support in the fight against terrorism, but have also cautioned against hasty retaliation.
British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair vowed loyal backing, and France, Germany and others, including Russia, have also voiced their support.
But there were anxious pleas, too, that Mr Bush avoid setting the wider Muslim world against the West and critical voices were raised against US foreign policy.
In Asia and the Middle East, Muslim states kept an eye on radical Islam within their own borders but pledged logistical and moral backing - including Saudi Arabia as well as Pakistan.
Japan, still smarting from diplomatic embarrassment during the 1991 Gulf War, struggled to reconcile its post-World War Two constitutional neutrality with loyalty to its key American ally.
Nuclear-armed India, dogged by tensions with Pakistan and with a big Muslim minority at home, has offered intelligence and facilities.
China has said it is ready to join the US superpower in fighting terrorism but pointedly insisted that peace, not war, is the best option and asking to be consulted on any response.
Mr Bush declared a war yesterday on the still-unidentified group who launched Tuesday's suicide hijack attacks.