The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah raging in Lebanon is one of those vents that may either fade away into obscurity or shape the history of the Middle East for generations to come. Only the passage of time will reveal the historical context in which this battle occurred. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain; over the next several years, the history of the entire Middle East and quite possibly the world is about to be permanently shaped, albeit by some strange bedfellows.

A lot of people initially viewed this as a small, regional issue that could be solved through some shuttle diplomacy and that it would be over soon. The stock markets barely registered a blip. Now it could potentially swallow the whole Middle East, if left unchecked.

Iran and North Korea have active nuclear weapons programs. There is mounting evidence to suggest that Iranian “officials” were present during the North Korean missile tests. On Thursday July 20th, Assistant Secretary of State for Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill said in Congressional testimony that “is our understanding” that one or more Iranian officials were present at the July test launches.

Whatever they were doing there, I’m sure it was to our detriment.

With the exception(for now) of North Korea, all of the Middle East issues are related, and they all pertain to our War on Terror. This isn’t about just Israel.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim paramilitary terrorist organization. While Muslim, they are not Arabs. They have vowed for as long as I can remember to destroy Israel. They have also killed hundreds of US Marines. Being primarily Shiite, Hezbollah’s handlers and financial backers are Syria and Iran. Iran is primarily a Shiite country.

With a nuclear weapon, Iran becomes powerful. They can destroy Israel. The trouble is, the Arab countries in the region with most of the influence, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan do not want to see Iran emerge as the Middle East’s power broker. The idea of a non-Arab state in the Middle East’s power position doesn’t sit well with them, despite the fact that they too would probably dance for joy if Israel were wiped off the map.

The stage for this latest spasm of violence between Israel and Hezbollah was set when Hamas terrorists kidnapped Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier.

In a show of supposed support to the Palestinians, Hezbollah then kidnapped 2 more Israeli soldiers, spirited them back to somewhere in Lebanon and immediately began issuing demands and lobbing rockets.

The response to Israel’s increasing pressure in Lebanon has been somewhat muted and international calls for a cease-fire have justifiably been rebuffed by Israel and the United States as not being a solution to the overall problem.

Lebanon is between a rock and a hard place.

In these Muslim countries with numerous coups, dictators and failed regimes, the power vacuum always provides opportunities for organizations such as al-Qaeda and Hezbollah to fill that vacuum.

They do this by building local hospitals, schools, roads and sewer systems to gain popular support among the people they are seeking to use as human shields at the first opportunity. Despite the fact that civilians are dying in Lebanon, Hezbollah is entrenched in the Lebanese political establishment and they enjoy widespread support among the Lebanese Shia population.

So now that you have some context, here is how I see it.

Israel is rightfully defending itself from the unprovoked actions of an organization that is sworn to its destruction, and incidentally has scores of gallons of American blood on its hands.

But if they don’t get some close air support for their troops, they’ll continue to suffer heavy casualties like they did when a group of about a dozen soldiers were ambushed from alleyways and rooftops, killing 8.

Syria and Iran both made machinations as if they would get militarily involved with Israel if they invade Lebanon, although Syria has backed off that stance in recent days. Israel has uncovered evidence that Syrian and Iranian shrapnel is present in some of the rocket fragments being launched at them.

Syria and Iran are arming Hezbollah, while at the same time the United States is facing increasing international criticism for taking sides; i.e., giving bunker busters to Israel in a pre-approved deal.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are making veiled threats to get involved if the US doesn’t rein in Israel. I don’t know about you, but where I come from, them’s fightin’ words.

Two of our supposed allies against terrorism -Egypt and Saudi Arabia- where lots of terrorists originate from, are threatening another of our allies, who is themselves threatened by terrorists.

For me, the choice is easy. Good over evil. Democracy over terror. Rule of Law over thuggery. We must stand with Israel. It is our duty as peace-loving people.

Lebanon must decide what it is going to stand for as a country. Is it going to side with freedom and peace and help to eject Hezbollah from it’s soil; or is it going to try and show that it stands with the Muslim world against the Zionists?

Is Lebanon’s fledgling army going to show that it stands up for it’s own sovereignty by getting militarily involved with Israel?

I constantly hear the pundits say there is no military solution to this problem. I for one beg to differ. I believe the only solution to this problem is military.

I believe the only solution to the global problem of terrorism is either a military one or a political one that is brought about only because a military solution was reached first, when one side got their you-know-whats handed to them by the other. I believe that the only way this solution can come about is with the help of the moderate Muslim world. The one that seeks peace.  The problem is, I believe the number of moderate Muslim voices speaking out against violence is on the wane. I hope they prove me wrong, but they never speak out or condemn rabid Muslim killers for chopping off heads or killing civilians or even other Muslims.

But when a western army kills civilians unintentionally they are accused by Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, of deliberately targeting people. Mr. Annan doesn’t seem to understand that his observers were deliberately used as human shields by the terrorists.

Nobody is condemning Hamas or Hezbollah for indoctrinating children with hatred and parading them armed through the streets in front of TV cameras. It is after all, a violation of international law to arm children and send them to fight. Why does Kofi Annan not speak out on this practice?

When someone vows repeatedly to come into your house and kill you and your family, are you going to try and negotiate; try and talk them out of it; or are you going to arm yourself so you can blow his sorry butt down the stairs when he violates the sanctity of your home?

So when Hezbollah or Iran continually swear to destroy Israel, why shouldn’t we take their word for it? The only language terrorists understand is violence. Brute force is the only way to gain their respect. The solution to international terrorism is to make it so painful to these organizations as a whole, that their whole existence is threatened by even sticking their heads out of the caves they hide in.

The problem is not so much terrorism. We can take care of that militarily. The problem is the civilian support that terrorists enjoy, and the lack of intelligence on these groups.

The United States has finally taken the correct position on terrorism concerning the root causes of the Lebanese issue. I can only hope it translates into a shift in US policy in terms of more aggressive action against terrorists worldwide - instead of simply engaging in a war of attrition like we are in Iraq. I fully supported both invasions of Iraq, but next week I will give you a compelling argument why we (our administration)acted immorally, and why we need to reexamine our presence there.