By launching armed attacks in Syria last weekend, the United States sent another warning to governments that refuse to stop terrorists who operate on their territory. U.S. President George W. Bush has made it clear that he will not stand idly by as terrorists target American troops, and some scholars insist he has the right to take action. But the real question is whether unilateral moves will solve the problem or make it worse. The record is not encouraging.

Convinced that the government in Damascus was ignoring charges that terrorists were using Syrian territory to enter Iraq, the U.S. last weekend sent four helicopters carrying special forces 6.5 km into Syria to disrupt the network. The assault targeted Badran Turki Hishan al-Mazidih, known as Abu Ghadiyah, who heads Syrian logistics for the insurgent group al-Qaida in Iraq. Reportedly the U.S. had intelligence that Abu Ghadiyah was preparing a terrorist attack in Iraq. The U.S. troops killed several men and reportedly seized some others. Syria countered that the attack was "a criminal and terrorist aggression" that killed seven civilians.

There is little doubt that insurgents use the 560-km border to cross from Syria into Iraq. At one point, it was estimated that more than 120 men entered Iraq each month via this route. Documents seized in a raid in 2007 on an al-Qaida safe house in Iraq revealed substantial details about the network that helped them cross the border and about its operations. There are, however, questions about Syrian government complicity, whether it is truly involved or merely ready to turn a blind eye.