Iran is not the only country that mistakes tolerance for weakness. China was throwing around the term, "Paper Tiger" when I was a child. (And I am as old as dirt now...)
At the same time however, China used to get into border skirmishes with the former USSR, which is a military more on par with the US in terms of structure and philosophy. China got a black eye every single time as I recall.
As a comparison, Phoenix, do you think Israel does poorly in combat?
I'd also add that the mystique of conservatism was that we were strict constructionists when it came to the Constitution. Especially the 2nd amendment.
Bemoaning the lack of military intervention on our own soil makes me wonder what has become of conservatism.