I can't disagree with you at all. In 1917 we fought "The War To End All Wars". Guess no one thought we'd be back "over there" in only two decades, huh?
My biggest fear is not the tin horns around the world, including Iran. It is our countrymen, who have forgotten 9/11 and what we then vowed. I often wonder if this generation of Americans are actually up to the challenge that is being laid out to them, precisely because they've lost the vigilance they had in the Fall of 2001. They think things are bad in Iraq right now, well wait for things to really hit the fan. Then they'll know bad.
Once more into the fire because we got too comfy codling lunatics with crazy followers who have lots of weapons. Appeasement NEVER, EVER works!
Appeasement isn't tried because people think it works. Appeasement is tried because on lot don't want anything to work, and another don't want to face things or get off their backsides. And the former know how to play the latter. It isn't generational, though. The Brits of the interwar period had the same pacifists, US liberals of the cold war defended Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs, the children of the 60s worshipped Fidel, Mao, and Che, their leading intellectuals sold out SVN and excused the Khymer Rogue, Bill Clinton heard the Rwandan genocide on the radio and worked to keep even the hapless UN from doing anything about it - etc.
Wherever a tyrant is intent on murdering millions, look around a little, and you will find a leftist kissing his feet. They talk about peace but they worship ruthless killers. One is just talk. They like the ruthles killers because they go after the dastardly capitalist establishment types who haven't made said leftists rulers of the world, yet.