As the military action starts to wind down in one of the most successful military campaigns in the history of the world we are starting to see who is who on the Arab stage. Syria, long a harbinger of terrorism, is now in the spotlight. As reports of illegal oil pipelines, clandestinely open borders to Saddam Hussein’s regime higher-ups and chemical weapons capability start to be confirmed a defining question becomes important to the United States, what should be done with them?

Although the government of Syria has asserted that no members of Saddam Hussein’s government are being sheltered in Syria (they contend their border with Iraq is closed) it is hard to take them at their word. They have acted as enabler to the Iraqi regime in illegally funneling oil for profit for both countries in defiance of a United Nations resolution forbidding it. They have supplied the Iraqi regime with military supplies including night-vision equipment. Acts like these are at the core of the West’s mistrust of the Arab world and rightly so. Time after time Arab nations have engaged in lies and deception and time after time the trust has been shattered at the cost of the lives of our citizens and military personnel. This mistrust is fostered by the Arab world in their acceptance of the status quo and their acceptance of terrorism as a political tool.

But, although diplomacy didn't work with Saddam Hussein, it should be pointed out that diplomacy was tried to rectify his situation for over 12 years, it wasn't until the United Nations failed in enforcing its own resolutions that it came to military action. We would be well advised to follow the same path with Syria and the rest of the misinformed Arab world but we should also demand and accept nothing less than an amazingly accelerated timetable for these diplomatic actions. Twelve years of stalling, fraud and blatant lying is simply not acceptable. If you don’t agree perhaps you should talk to one of the newly liberated Iraqis about how long twelve years is.

With the amazing show of efficiently executed force the coalition demonstrated against Saddam Hussein's oppressive militia the message has been delivered to the tyrants of the world that the freedom loving countries will no longer tolerate the harboring or nurturing of terrorism. This is the definition of the War on Terror. It is not only an American problem but a global problem that needs to be addressed on a global scale. No country is exempt from defining itself in this War on Terror. The defining factors are quite clear, if you harbor or abet terrorism in any way you have defined yourself and freedom-loving countries need to treat each tyrant, each terrorist as such.

The coalition of the willing in the War on Terror should be a living breathing entity that incorporates more nations as the wheels turn until the entire world stands opposed to the last nation on earth that can call itself the last bastion of terrorism. Then we should eliminate the threat once and for all. This isn’t simply a dream or wishful thinking but a necessity that is long overdue. Terror states and terrorists in general located all over the world should be confronted with a swift, overwhelming and yes sometimes-brutal retaliation. When terrorist understand that those they view as victims will no longer tolerate being terrorized then and only then will the tables being turned. But until we, as a world community, stand up and say "enough is enough” and demand an end to the lying, the cheating, the deception and the evil we will continue to exist in a world where we have allowed terror to exist.

So, how are we to deal with Syria, a known harbor of terrorist ideals and a probable home to the outlaws and criminals we are still in military action against? We do what America always does and always has to do. We expose the criminal activity that exists. We express our dismay. We ask for international action. And when France, Germany, Russia and China veto the resolutions that would have bound the terrorist enablers to adhere to international law we do what is right, we act. But, like Americans, we need to do everything that we can to rectify the situation first diplomatically, before military action, because it is what American’s do, just like we did in Iraq.

Frank Salvato is a political media consultant and the managing editor for The New Media Journal.us. He is a contributing writer for The Washington Dispatch, GOPUSA, OpinionEditorials, Men’s News Daily, Canada Free Press & AmericanDaily. His pieces are regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared as a guest on The O’Reilly Factor, The Kevin Matthews Radio Show (Chicago) and The Brad Messer Radio Show (San Antonio). His pieces have been recognized by the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention and are occasionally featured in The Washington Times and The London Morning Paper as well as other national and international publications.